PAL union retreats from holding strike

Manila Standard Today
Monday, April 4, 2011   
by Vito Barcelo

PHILIPPINE Airlines’ ground workers retreated from their threatened strike on Saturday after the Labor Department intervened and referred their dispute with the management to the National Labor Relations Commission for compulsory arbitration.

The Philippine Airlines Employees Union had threatened to strike over what it claims as management’s refusal to bargain collectively, and after the strike ban prescribed by law ended Friday.

The Labor Department-sponsored series of conciliation talks between the two sides failed to produce results, and on Friday the union said it was ready to strike the following day after the strike ban lapsed.

Union president Gerry Rivera described the department’s order stopping them from striking as a “bad April Fool’s prank.”

“We will go back to the drawing board and plan our next legal move,” he said.

“We will strike without any announcement, that’s for sure. We will not conduct any work slowdown. It will be a big surprise.”

Airline president Jaime Bautista said “PAL will follow the order, but any illegal action of the PAL Employees Association to disrupt airline operations will not be treated lightly.”

The union is protesting against the impending dismissal of 2,600 workers as a result of management’s decision to outsource some of its businesses to third parties.

“We are ready to defy the order of Labor Secretary [Rosalinda] Baldoz any time we deem it necessary to go on strike in order to prevent layoffs and contractualization at PAL,” Rivera said.

He criticized the Labor Department’s referral of the labor dispute to the Labor Relations Commission, saying the union received the order after some 2,000 members and supporters rallied at the airport.

The carrier, meanwhile, assured its passengers that its operations remained normal, and that no flights had been canceled.

“Strikes do not happen overnight,” spokeswoman Cielo Villaluna said.

“The PAL management will take all legal remedies to prevent such from happening.”