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| Among the people at PALEA's 68th founding anniversary |
Press Release
September 21, 2014
PALEA
Members of the Philippine Airlines Employees’ Association
(PALEA), their families and supporters from the labor and social movement,
including the church gathered today to celebrate its 68th founding
anniversary.
PALEA was founded on September 21, 1946. And amid the backdrop of the complete buyback
of the flag carrier by the Lucio Tan group, PALEA is hopeful the PAL-PALEA settlement
agreement ending the labor dispute last year is finally implemented.
“Now that the ownership row in Philippine Airlines is over,
we expect that there will be no more obstacles to completing the settlement
agreement that guaranteed re-employment of PALEA members,” said PALEA President
Gerry Rivera.
In November of last year, PAL
and PALEA signed an accord to settle the labor dispute arising from the
implementation of an outsourcing program that led to the retrenchment of more
than 2,000 employees in September 2011. Meanwhile PAL reported a US$1.49
billion profit in the second quarter of this year, reversing a trend of losses
for the past several years.
The 600 PALEA members who resisted the PAL outsourcing plan
and are the subject of the agreement attended the noontime mass led by Manila
Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo at Our Lady of the Airways Parish. Pabillo and other church leaders held regular
masses at the picket line during the height of PALEA’s resistance against outsourcing.
Rivera said the anniversary theme was extremely serious but at
the same time fun-filled and family-centered.
“After all those trying years PALEA remains a solid family.
And it is labor dignity and our love of the flag carrier that continue to
consolidate our ranks,” added Rivera.
Leaders and representatives from Partido Manggagawa (PM) and
Nagkaisa! labor coalition, student groups and community organizations attended
the celebration to affirm their commitment to PALEA’s fight.
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