Labor dep’t stops compulsory retirement of PAL pursers

THE LABOR department has issued an order suspending Lucio C. Tan-led Philippine Airlines’ (PAL) move to retire senior flight attendants aged 55 years old.

In a two-page order issued last Friday, Labor Undersecretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac told PAL to set aside compulsory retirement notices issued to eight flight pursers last Jan. 13.

The Labor department said PAL’s move was unwarranted considering it had assumed jurisdiction over the labor dispute between the airline and the Flight Attendants’ and Stewards’ Association of the Philippines or FASAP.

“[C]ontinuing acts may exacerbate the situation or give rise to further contentious issues or increase the tension between [the parties],” the department said,

Robert Anduiza, FASAP president, welcomed the decision of the Labor department. “We are glad that the Labor department heeded FASAP’s urgent call to stop PAL from worsening the labor tension between PAL and FASAP,” he said.

Jose S.L. Uybaretta, PAL vice-president for human resources, said in the statement early last month the flight pursers were informed of their compulsory retirement shortly after Judge Oscar B. Pimentel of the Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 147 lifted an injunction on the notices of compulsory retirement.

“This is in accordance to the 2000-2005 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) pegging at 55 years old the retirement age of female flight attendants hired before Nov. 22, 1996,” he said last Jan. 13.

PAL had sent the notices to the following: Yvette Grant, Vina Sanchez, Cora Mislang, Irma Bituin, Cristina Mendoza, Evangeline Bocobo, Mooning Noel and Maria Afable.

FASAP filed a motion seeking a Status Quo Order before the Labor department last Jan. 14 to stop the forced retirements.

PAL management has yet to issue a statement on the matter. — A. M. P. Dagcutan, Businessworld