Philippine Airlines (PAL) management is pushing for an indefinite halt to collective bargaining negotiations. At a meeting called by the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB) in Manila, the PAL Employees’ Association (Palea) accused the carrier of hiding from its responsibility.
“In effect, PAL wants another CBA moratorium of indefinite period if it will only negotiate after it gets a go signal on the outsourcing and layoff. A de facto indefinite CBA moratorium is worse than the earlier 10-year suspension,” said Palea president Gerry Rivera.
google_protectAndRun(“ads_core.google_render_ad”, google_handleError, google_render_ad); PAL-Palea collective bargaining agreements (CBA) were suspended in 1998 as a condition for the reopening of the flag carrier. However Palea claims the CBA negotiation is distinct and separate from the outsourcing plan, which involves the retrenchment of 2,600 workers assigned in its three non-core units.
“The law does not provide for a plan to layoff union officers and members as a legitimate reason not to bargain. An employer has a legal duty to bargain with a certified sole and exclusive agent such as Palea,” Rivera said.
The notice of strike is the first of a series of steps that will lead to a full-blown strike at the airline.
“We will, of course, observe the 15-day cooling off period and the conciliation meetings to be called by the Department of Labor and Employment,” Rivera explained.