FLAG carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) assured the flying public that its ground and flight operations continue and remain unhampered, despite the planned strike of the accredited labor union inside the Tan-led company.
Philippine Airlines Employees’ Association filed a notice of strike on Thursday to protest against the company’s manpower-restructuring program, which effectively terminated 117 employees as of last week.
“A strike does not happen overnight. Parties will have to go through a legal process as required by the Department of Labor and Employment. This will enable PAL management to state its position on the issues raised, and we welcome this opportunity to be heard,” the legacy carrier said in a statement on Monday. The union alleged that the carrier dismissed immediately some of those who received the notices for termination, supposed to be effective on November 9.
The airline, however, noted that the signatories of the said notice of strike are not its employees.
“PAL management has issued notices of separation to 117 employees. 90 percent of this number have already accepted the separation package,” it added.
This development comes on the heels of the airline’s recuperating bottomline, which saw a 10-fold growth in the first half of the year to P5.8 billion, from P560 million in the same period last year.
In 2011 the airline’s bottomline had a major dent due to the strike conducted by members of its labor union. The issue was settled in 2013.