MANILA, Philippines – Philippine Airlines (PAL) and the Philippine Airlines Employees Association (PALEA) have ended a two-year labor dispute by agreeing to reinstate all union members back to PAL.
The final agreement will be signed by PALEA and PAL in a formal ceremony on Friday at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 building.
Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) President Democrito Mendoza lauded the forging of the final agreement between the two parties, calling it a “great union victory.”
“I offer our trade union salute to my union brothers and sisters in the PALEA for their uncommon collective resilience, steadfast courage, and indomitable solidarity demonstrated in more than two years of union struggle. They have proven to fellow trade unionists, to the Filipino people, and to the working people around the world that devotion to these trade union principles is important in achieving social justice,” Mendoza said.
“I also commend the tack of progressive openness and principled leadership chosen by the Philippine Airlines management led by its President and Chief Operating Officer Mr. Ramon Ang in pursuing the highest humane solution to the dispute with its workers. This high profile agreement will definitely boost the image of PAL before its shareholders and improve its reputation before the local and international market,” he added.
The dispute stemmed from a 2010 PAL management decision to shut down the airline’s airport services division, in-flight catering and call-center reservations after these are outsourced, which resulted to the loss of jobs of more than 2,500 employees.
PALEA staged a strike on April 2011 and put up a makeshift camp near the PAL terminal to show protest.
The two parties began negotiating on December 2012 after San Miguel Corporation took management control of PAL and embarked on a re-fleeting program.