PAL workers vote unanimously to strike

Manila Standard Today
December 9, 2010

PHILIPPINE Airlines’ ground workers said Wednesday they were ready to strike after 84 percent of their union’s members voted for it on Tuesday.

“We are prepared to go on strike to defend the union from management’s unfair labor practice,” said Gerry Rivera, president of the Philippine Airlines Employees Association.

“We are forced to this recourse because of management’s intransigence in persuading [union] members into accepting the separation package. The strike can be as early as after 15 days since this is an unfair-labor-practice issue.”

Rivera said the majority of the 3,700 union members favored a strike following the balloting that started Tuesday morning and ended at midnight.

Meanwhile, the flag carrier on Wednesday welcomed Malacañang’s appeal to the union to exercise restraint for the sake of the flying public.

“PAL would like to thank President Aquino and Executive Secretary [Paquito] Ochoa for their immediate response to this potential labor crisis at Philippine Airlines,” the carrier said in a statement.
“We all know that a work stoppage would not only hurt the company, related industries and the country’s economy, but would also wreak havoc on the travel plans of thousands of local and foreign travelers.”

Airline spokeswoman Cielo Villaluna said the airline believed that the Office of the President had jurisdiction over the case.

“We believe [the union’s] complaints about individual bargaining should have been raised before the Office of the President before they conducted a strike vote,” she said.

“But while we believe that [the union’s] actions have no leg to stand on, we leave it to the President to make a final determination on the legality of yesterday’s [Tuesday’s] exercise.” Vito Barcelo