PAL assures normal operations despite union's strike vote

Manila Bulletin
March 29, 2011
By Emmie V. Abadilla

MANILA, Philippines – Philippine Airlines (PAL) shrugged off its ground union’s claim that majority of its members voted in favor of a work stoppage and assured passengers its operations will continue normally.


PAL Vice President for Human Resources Jose S.L. Uybarreta asserted that government-brokered conciliation meetings are still ongoing.


In fact, he said, PAL management informed the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB) that it would submit its Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) counter-proposal on March 28, as earlier committed.


With the ongoing talks, he stressed that PAL sees no reason for the strike vote called by the union Wednesday and denied the PAL Employees Association (PALEA)’s accusation that the airline is refusing to bargain with its union. PAL is willing to open negotiations, name its panel of negotiators and submit its counter-proposal, Uybaretta maintained.


While PAL believes that the union’s planned strike has no legal basis, the flag carrier is not leaving everything to chance. “We are making the necessary preparations to prevent flight disruptions and passenger inconvenience,” he stressed.


“PAL respects and strictly adheres to the legal process. We are open to negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement, but it cannot include the spin-off issue because the same is still pending before Malacanang,” Uybarreta added.


However, PALEA has been repeatedly using threats of work stoppage to pressure management to enter into a new CBA negotiation even when their appeal against the airline’s planned spin off remains pending before Malacanang.


It doesn’t help that the strike threats are coming at a time when PAL is in the middle of delivering relief goods for Japan and bracing for possible repatriation of Filipino Overseas Workers, if and when full-scale conflicts erupt in North Africa and the Middle East, the official lamented.