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Airline employees in the Philippines fight sackings and casual contracts
23 July 2010
Workers in the Philippines employed by the national carrier are in dispute over a proposal to dismiss thousands of workers and contract out their jobs.
The ITF-affiliated Philippine Airlines Employees’ Association (PALEA), which represents the workers, reported that a plan by Philippine Airlines (PAL) managers to implement the dismissals and contract out their work could be in breach of the collective bargaining agreement. Some 3000 jobs could be at risk if the decision goes ahead.
In a letter to the new president of the Philippines Benigno Simeon C Aquino III dated 16 July, ITF general secretary David Cockroft congratulated him on his election and stated that the ITF had been encouraged by his pledge to promote good governance and social reform. He stated: “Apart from the huge social impact that such actions would have on the workers and their families … this move by the PAL management is also perceived as a union-busting measure given the fact that these employees are all PALEA members and include the union’s officers.”
“Given your election campaign platform, the ITF strongly urges your government to act swiftly and decisively to intervene in the PAL-PALEA dispute to facilitate an acceptable resolution. The ITF supports PALEA’s call for the incoming labour secretary to be given the right to revisit the labour dispute, and to make a decision in accordance with due process and on a just basis, especially given the potential social impact of the PAL management’s decision,” he added.
Cockroft also wrote to the president of the airline Jaime J Bautista to call for PAL to reconsider its plans and to engage with PALEA on the issue.
The dispute is currently on the government’s labour and employment agenda as a matter for review.
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