Press Release
September 18, 2015
PALEA
The Philippine Airlines Employees Association (PALEA) today asked
the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to act on the mass layoff at
Philippine Airlines (PAL) as the union held a picket at its Intramuros main
office. More than a week ago PAL announced the retrenchment in November of 117
employees all working at domestic airports all around the country.
“We call the attention of DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz to
the brewing labor dispute over the latest round of retrenchments at PAL. Sec.
Baldoz called the Kentex owners immoral for their occupational health and safety
negligence but it is also immoral to lay off almost all personnel at domestic
airports when PAL is wallowing in profits of P6.45 billion for the first half
of the year,” stated Gerry Rivera, PALEA president and vice chair of the
militant Partido Manggagawa (PM).
In its stockholders meeting last August, PAL declared that it
is expecting to end the year in the black. PALEA recalled that in 2011 PAL
argued that it was losing money and thus it was necessary to retrench a third
of its total workforce.
Rivera insisted that “DOLE cannot pretend not to see, hear
and speak no evil when workers rights and livelihood are assailed with
impunity. Article 277 (b) of the Labor Code empowers the Labor Secretary to resolve
cases of mass layoff that results in labor disputes. Further she has the authority
to assume jurisdiction (AJ) of labor disputes. In fact less than a month ago
Sec. Baldoz imposed an AJ to stop workers of power plant KEPCO-Cebu from
striking against union busting and refusal to bargain since it will disrupt the
APEC events in Cebu . Why is it that AJ is
always used to stop workers from fighting back and never to bar capitalists
from attacking labor rights?”
Since last week PALEA has been holding protests at PAL’s main
office at the PNB Building in Macapagal
Boulevard and its various offices around the Ninoy Aquino
International Airport
Aside from blasting the latest layoffs, the PALEA protesters
also called for the opening of collective bargaining negotiations and the full
implementation of a settlement agreement that ended the dispute over the last
mass retrenchment in 2011. No collective bargaining negotiation between PAL and
PALEA has happened since 1998 when a 10-year CBA suspension was imposed. After
a two-year fight, PALEA and PAL forged a deal to settle the labor dispute of 2011
yet some 600 retrenched members have not been re-employed as provided for in
the agreement.
1 comment:
Dear PALEA Comrades,
I was in Gensan last 2 weeks ago and Ive learned that PALE Management arrived in Gensan with the prepared cheques for the regular workers. The workers were just told that they will be separated starting November 9, 2015 this year. They were made to sign a quick claim with initial payment of 100,000. They were offer to be "rehired"by Macro Asia thru the agency and for loader position, they will only pay 7,500 pesos per month!
There were no proper consultation for this process. The workers were asking if they will not sign? PAL Management just replied: then you have to go to manila to process your claim!
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