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
July 2025
Nutrition Month
“Give us much more than P50 increase
for proper nutrition!”
Invoke Article 33 of the ILO Constitution
against the military junta in Myanmar
to carry out the 2021 ILO Commission of Inquiry recommendations
against serious violations of
Forced Labour and Freedom of Association protocols.
Accept National Unity Government (NUG)
of Myanmar. Reject Military!
#WearMask #WashHands #Distancing #TakePicturesVideosturesVideos
July
3 July – International Day of Cooperatives
3 July – International Plastic Bag Free Day
5 July – World Youth Skills Day
7 July – Global Forgiveness Day
11 July – World Population Day
17 July – World Day for International Justice
28 July – World Nature Conservation Day
30 July – World Day against Trafficking in Persons
Monthly Observances:
Schools Safety Month
Nutrition Month
National Disaster Consciousness Month
Weekly Observances:
Week 2: Cultural Communities Week
Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise
Development Week
Week 3: National Science and
Technology Week
National Disability Prevention and
Rehabilitation Week
July 1-7:
National Culture Consciousness Week
July 13-19:
Philippines Business Week
Week ending last Saturday of July:
Arbor Week
Daily Observances:
First Saturday of July:
International Cooperative Day
in the Philippines
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.
