People’s Journa;
Thursday, September 17, 1998
MEMBERS of the Philippine Airlines Employees’ Association yesterday declared they were prepared for a worst-case scenario, including a shut-down of PAL operations rather than accept an agreement forged by the union officers with the airline's management.
"We dare them to close down PAL," several PALEA members said in an interview.
The airline employees stressed they cannot honor, much less accept, the validity of the agreement which was reportedly signed by majority of the union's 21-board members led by its President Alex Barrientos.
PALEA Vice President Jerry Rivera said the accord was illegal and invalid.
He argued the PALEA Constitution and by-laws provide that any agreement entered into by the board has to be ratified by majority of the members.
Reports circulated yesterday about a break-away group of PALEA which has issued a resolution manifesting the group's outright rejection of the agreement.
The group was said to have been led by majority of PALEA officers including six board members who earlier signed the pact.
Another PALEA member, who asked not to be named, said the union board came out with a resolution Tuesday withdrawing the commitment made by 14 PALEA officials who earlier signed the agreement.
PAL employees expressed disgust over Barrientos' act, which was tantamount to "selling" them for not being consulted about the agreement.
Under the proposed accord, the union will be given three board seats in PAL in exchange for shares of stocks and 10 years suspension of the union's collective bargaining agreement.
Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino, in a statement, said the proposal dangled by business tycoon and PAL owner Lucio Tan to PALEA members was a clear act of union busting.
The BMP said Tan and his creditors should rethink their position and insist on industrial peace, not by asking PALEA leaders to betray their principles and the workers to surrender their rights in exchange for jobs and stocks. JEFFREY C. TIANGCO
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