The country's flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) said it has readied contingency plans for the planned flight attendants strike at the end of October.
However, PAL spokeswoman Cielo Villaluna hinted that informal channels between PAL and the Flight Attendants and Stewards Association of the Philippines (FASAP) may still help avert the strike. She did not elaborate.
“Kung full-blown ang hakbang nila may hakbang kami. Gagamit kami ng management crew to take over roles as flight and cabin crew pero limited ang mase-service. Gumagawa kami ng hakbang para ma-avert ang ganitong klaseng situation," Villaluna said in an interview on dzBB radio.
(If the strike becomes full-blown, we have measures in place. We will use management crew to take over as flight and cabin crew although their services will be limited. We are taking all steps to avert a bad situation stemming from the strike.)
Villaluna added that the PAL management may turn to the Labor Department for help if the strike pushes through because PAL is “part of an industry imbued with national interest and the public welfare."
“Formally we are not communicating with FASAP but I believe there are informal channels in reaching out to them to continue mediation efforts," she said.
She tried to downplay the strike, saying it will not happen overnight as there are other processes to be hurdled, like a strike vote, before the actual strike can take place.
“We want to assure the flying public FASAP’s announcement does not mean a strike will occur overnight," she said.
In an interview on GMA News' Unang Balita, Villaluna said the management is still hoping the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) will intervene.
She said the retirement age and retirement benefit package were the issues unresolved during the negotiations on September 28.
In a separate interview on dzXL radio, she said PAL management will give the affected passengers “full assistance in their ticket bookings and other matters."
She also said PAL may seek help from its 134 airline partners and sister company Air Philippines.
Flight attendants to go on strike in October
On Wednesday, the FASAP said it is no longer in talks with PAL and will push through with the planned strike.
FASAP president Bob Anduiza said the strike “can happen between the end of October and the first week of November after the mandated cooling-off period and the holding of the strike vote."
In an interview on Unang Balita on Thursday, FASAP vice-president Andy Ortega said the group withdrew from the talks because PAL had insisted on its discriminatory policy.
"Yung usapin sa pera [benefit package] madaling pag-usapan yan.... But we cannot turn our backs on the issue of discrimination. Pag na-resolve itong usaping ito, madali nalang pag-usapan ang ibang mga bay (If this issue is resolved, all other matters could easily be ironed out)," Ortega said.
PAL and FASAP have been in mediation talks supervised by the DOLE since the latter filed a notice of strike last September 9.
In earlier reports, Villaluna admitted PAL and FASAP failed to see eye to eye on two contentious issues, including the mandatory retirement age for flight attendants and compensation package.
She also said the strike will come at a bad time because the period from October to December is considered a peak travel period.
“We were hoping to exhaust all mediation efforts, till October 10. But if they feel the talks are going nowhere, we respect their decision although we felt otherwise," she said in an interview on dwIZ radio.
She also admitted the PAL management was surprised over FASAP’s decision to end talks and push through with its strike.
Villaluna said both sides have had an “understanding in principle" that they will have a recess in the talks and resume talks on October 4 or 5.
Criminal charges?
Villaluna hinted PAL management reserves the right to sue FASAP if there is basis to do so.
“Under the Labor Code, both management and labor can exercise certain rights. All these rights must be exercised within the parameters of law," she said in an interview on dzXL radio, when asked if PAL can sue FASAP.
She said FASAP exercised its rights when it filed a notice of strike, decided to pull out of mediation talks, and declared to stage a strike.
“While we respect that, we are also monitoring exactly if there is full adherence to the process. Yan lang masasabi natin (That is all I can say for now)," she said.
FASAP's Ortega said that after Wednesday’s deadlocked talks, their next step is to return to their members and concentrate on preparing for the strike.
“Nagmamatigas na kami laban sa diskriminasyon, di na kami papayag sa diskriminasyon ... Tuloy na ang pagpeprepara namin (We are taking a strong stand against discrimination. We will not agree to discrimination and we will now prepare for the strike). We will go to the members to prepare them for our planned strike," he said in an interview on dzXL radio.
FASAP said the conciliation meetings with PAL management, the last of which was held on Wednesday, remained deadlocked.
“PAL is playing games and is insisting on its unreasonable retirement age limit. They are not serious in resolving the dispute. PAL is just playing deaf and blind to the concerns of the flight attendants," FASAP president Anduiza said in a statement on FASAP’s website.
FASAP said it reduced its issues and limited the concerns to only three issues, mainly on the age and gender discrimination issues.
However, FASAP said PAL is adding more conditions to muddle the issue and intends to make more money out of the dispute.
“Its proposals to move the retirement age from 40 to 45 on condition on drastic work-rule changes to mix the domestic and international operations will result to retrenchment and mega-profits for PAL. PAL wants to paint itself as ‘reasonable’ but the real motive is to exploit the flight attendants," it said.
FASAP also said the dispute is about discrimination and even the Philippine Commission on Women already pronounced that PAL’s policy towards its female flight attendants is discriminatory.
Anduiza added Commission on Human Rights chairwoman Loretta Ann Rosales also pointed-out that PAL’s retirement, pregnancy and maternity provisions for flight attendants are sexist and discriminatory, in violation of their human rights.
FASAP also said PAL is refusing to correct the minimum wage levels on the flight attendants’ basic salaries.
“It clearly showed that the PAL flight attendants’ entry level pay of P8,605 is way, way below the present P12,288 minimum wage." Anduiza said.
“We believe that PAL can well afford to pay and settle the labor dispute based on the hundreds of millions PAL has saving due to the under-manning of crew per flight. The crews are already working more and are being paid less. The problem is PAL does not want to prioritize taking care of the flight attendants," he added.
FASAP said it finds no more need to meet with PAL and will now concentrate on preparing for the strike. — LBG/VVP
