Press Release
January 23, 2014
There is no doubt the Philippine
Airlines is reaping the benefits of a good press from the successful visit of
Pope Francis to the country.
But the labor party, Partido
Manggagawa (PM), reminded the flag carrier that in order to sustain its
“blessed” flights, it has a Christian commitment to fulfill to which the Pope
is also committed – the reinstatement of its outsourced ground workers
and the negotiations for a collective bargaining agreement that has been
stalled for 15 years.
PAL blew its own trumpet during a
press briefing the other day by taking pride of its role to the safe and
comfortable airlift of Pope Francis in and out of Tacloban and to his journey
back to Vatican
“It was indeed a rare and fateful
journey between the Pope and PAL. We really hope, however, that beyond
those in-flight exchanges of gifts and selfies, we both go back to the reality
as the Pope had suggested. Here on the ground oppressed workers are
waiting not just for compassion but for concrete and immediate action,” said PM
chair Renato Magtubo.
PAL has yet to finally comply with
the last but most important item in the PAL-PALEA Settlement Agreement signed
in November 2013 which ended the protracted labor dispute in the flag carrier.
It also has to sit down with PALEA for the continuation of CBA negotiation, the
last being in 1998.
An intense battle for management
control between the Lucio Tan group and San Miguel, which ended with the
former’s buyback of PAL, delayed the final implementation of the settlement
agreement.
During the height of the outsourcing
dispute in PAL, PALEA sought the help of Pope Francis through the Church Labor
Conference and the social arm of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines
Pope Francis is a strong advocate of
labor dignity. To him, there is no dignity without decent work and that
human dignity comes from work and not from power and money.
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