PAL hits back, sues 16 pilots for abandonment

PHILIPPINE Airlines has sued 16 of the 25 pilots who resigned in July to work for other carriers, accusing them of breach of contract and abandonment of duty before a Makati court.

The pilots left without notice for higher-paying jobs in Hong Kong, Vietnam and the Middle East, causing the airline to cancel more than 20 flights in August.

“We are still preparing the case against the other pilots before going to court,” an airline official told Manila Standard.

The respondents were captains Allan Avellanosa, John Joseph de Guzman, Bienvenido Gorospe, Christopher Abella, Alvin Panganiban, Charles Pastrana, Sunny Sim and Jacques Louis Zialcita.

First officers Gerald Escuril, Regin Lorenzo, Robert Solis, Emmanuel de Lima, Joevan Magbanua, Van Vincent Panganiban, Erwin Sibayan, and Darwin Sy were also in the suit.

The airline accuses the pilots, who used to operate its Airbus 320 fleet, of violating a provision in their contract to give the company 180 days notice before leaving for another job, as well as an agreement requiring them to work for five years to cover the cost of their training.

Earlier, the airline lost a similar case against one of its former pilots because it failed to assert its rights on time.

The lawsuits come as the airline faces a strike threat from the 1,600-strong union of flight attendants and stewards.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said Monday that the union should be prepared to accept a settlement with the airline’s management as she prepared to lead marathon meetings with both parties to avert a strike.

The mediation meetings are expected to begin today, Tuesday, after the union filed a notice of strike last week over the airline’s alleged discriminatory policies.

Baldoz, who said she was determined to broker an agreement, reminded the union that she could issue an injunction against a strike.

On Friday, President Benigno Aquino III renewed his threat to speed up adopting an open-skies policy if PAL failed to resolve its labor row with its flight attendants.

He warned both parties he would put the national interest above those of the airline or its employees, and urged both sides to return immediately to the negotiating table.

“At the end of the day, I guarantee you, we will not sacrifice the public interest, and if I am to choose between PAL and the Filipino people, I think the choice is obvious,” Mr. Aquino said.

The 1,600-strong Flight Attendants and Stewards Association of the Philippines filed a notice of strike with the Labor Department on Thursday, saying the airline’s management continued to refuse to discuss its objection to a mandatory retirement age of 40 for female flight attendants.

The management said the union’s leaders had agreed to the earlier retirement age in exchange for financial benefits in their last collective bargaining agreement. –Eric Apolonio with Bloomberg