PAL mulls charges vs ex-employees for illegal work stoppage

MANILA, Philippines – Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) is studying the filing of charges of economic sabotage against former employees who went on an illegal work stoppage last Sept. 27.

PAL assistant vice president for industrial relations Remigio Siapno has told the House committee on labor and employment that the airline’s lawyers have been ordered to consider filing such charges against more than 300 former union members.

He said the former employees “disrupted trade and commerce and caused grave inconvenience to more than 14,000 PAL passengers on Sept. 27 alone.”

He said the workers paralyzed the flag carrier’s operations at the height of typhoon “Pedring.”

The labor committee yesterday conducted a hearing on the work stoppage and on PAL’s outsourcing of certain services.

Militant congressmen suggested that the committee invite business tycoon Lucio Tan, who controls PAL, to shed light on management’s decision to outsource some services, including catering and call center operations. Siapno said Tan spends more time abroad to attend to various business concerns.

He said labor issues involving the carrier and its workers are pending before the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court.

“To openly talk and comment on these issues may be sub judice and therefore prohibited,” he said.

For his part, Labor Undersecretary Hans Leo Cacdac informed the committee that based on the labor department’s earlier decision, PAL’s outsourcing program does not constitute unfair labor practice.

The Office of the President has twice upheld the labor department’s ruling.

PAL officer-in-charge for human resources Sylvia Hermosisima assured congressmen that PAL’s operations remain safe since the outsourcing was implemented Oct. 1.

She said regular jobs await many affected workers who applied with the airline’s service providers.

She said Tan does not own, in whole or in part, any of the service provider-companies. The labor committee asked PAL representatives to submit all documents pertaining to the service providers. –-Jess Diaz (The Philippine Star)  with Rudy Santos