PAL union files strike notice as management refuses negotiations

MANILA, Philippines – Unrest is hounding Philippine Airlines anew after its employees on Monday filed a formal notice to go on strike due to management’s refusal to bargain.

Members of the PAL Employees Association (PALEA) filed the notice at 10:35 a.m. before the Department of Labor and Employment, according to Gerry Rivera, the union president, and lawyer Marlon Manuel, its legal counsel.

The union accused the airline management of unfair labor practice for its refusal to sit down and discuss the collective bargaining agreement (CBA).

Rivera said that the union submitted its proposal to the management as early as October 2010, but were told that it was under study.

Management and PALEA have not had a collective bargaining since 1998 following a 10-year moratorium demanded by the airlines to allow it to recover following heavy financial losses.

Rivera said the employees have been understanding enough in allowing another three years to pass without negotiations. But he said management has no more reason not to talk to them this time because the financial condition of the airlines has improved.

In November last year, PALEA also filed a notice of strike because of management’s insistence to cut 2,600 jobs because of its plan to outsource some of its services.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz assumed jurisdiction over the case and issued a ruling saying the outsourcing was legal, but the union raised the matter to Malacanang, prompting President Benigno Aquino III to take over the labor row in December.

As a result, management was ordered to refrain from pushing through with its spinoff plan, and the union was ordered not go on strike.

Manuel said the notice of strike the union filed Monday was not in violation of the ongoing talks in Malacanang.

The talk in Malacanang is aimed at resolving the spinoff issue, while the union’s recent notice of strike is about collective bargaining.

Rivera added that they could not be prevented from pursuing the negotiations with the dialogue in the Palace.

PAL management through its spokesperson Cielo Villaluna was sought for reaction but has yet to respond as of posting time. –Lira Dalangin-Fernandez, INQUIRER.net