PAL says operations returning to normal

MANILA, Philippines - Philippine Airlines (PAL) is looking forward to resuming normal operations even as terminated airline employees have threatened to stage a big protest action on their last day of work today.

PAL president Jaime Bautista reported that the airline operation is almost 50 percent back to normal as of yesterday afternoon.

“Since the strike last Tuesday, we are now operating 48 percent of our average daily flight frequencies,” Bautista said.

Cielo Villaluna, PAL spokesperson, said PAL has moved their operations from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2 to Terminal 3.

Striking employees had set up a protest camp outside NAIA 2.

“We are now in the transition process with the third party service providers set to officially take over the non-core operations of the airline company tomorrow so the beefing up of manpower is now in full swing,” Villaluna said.

“Although we are in the transition process and not in full-scale operations at this time, we assure our passengers that highly trained employees are extending services to them and that our operations would normalize in a few weeks,” Villaluna added.

She also said several buses have been deployed to ferry passengers from Terminal 2 to Terminal 3.

Villaluna said PAL was forced to implement the planned outsourcing program earlier than the Oct. 1 schedule because some of the affected employees abandoned their posts and went on strike.

But Villaluna said until today, the third party service providers who will take over the airline operations are still willing to accept and absorb PAL employees who were affected by the spin-off but did not join the strike.

Villaluna said some of the affected employees have expressed willingness to apply and work under the third party service providers and avail of PAL’s termination package.

“The third party service providers have been accepting outsiders, but they sent word that they are willing to accept applicants from PAL,” she said.

For those employees who mounted the strike, Villaluna said the PAL legal department is already preparing the filing of administrative as well as possible criminal charges.

“They violated the law when they abandoned their posts and obstructed airport operations,” she said. 

The Philippine Airlines Employees’ Association (PALEA), however, dismissed threats of an economic sabotage case from the government and an illegal strike suit from PAL management.

“We are confident that PALEA’s protest against contractualization last Tuesday is within the bounds of the constitutionally guaranteed right to seek redress of grievances,” PALEA president Gerry Rivera said.

Rivera also announced that their members are set to hold a big protest at the airport today to dramatize their objection against the impending outsourcing program that would result in the layoff of 2,600 employees.

But Villaluna said PAL is coordinating with authorities to ensure the safety of passengers amid the planned massive protest action.

Meanwhile, Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said the Department of Labor and Employment is willing to mediate between PAL management and the striking employees should they opt to sit down and resolve their differences. – With Rudy Santos, Zinnia de la Peña