PAL to respect Palace ruling, welcomes strike ban

The management of Philippine Airlines (PAL) today (December 15, 2010) said it will respect Malacanang’s assumption order which effectively stopped the PAL union’s strike plans and also held in abeyance the flag carrier’s spin off program pending the result of the Palace review of the case.

PAL President Jaime J. Bautista said the flag carrier will abide by the Palace order as it has always done in the past. “PAL would like to reiterate that it has not in any way, shape or form implemented the spin off of its three non-core businesses, as it is awaiting the result of the Palace review of the labor dispute,” he said.

Bautista said the Palace order is most timely since it comes at the height of the Christmas rush, when travelers have firmed up their travel plans and are eager to spend the holidays with their loved ones.

“While PAL’s spin off program can wait, the order stopping the strike is the best Christmas gift the Palace can give to thousands of anxious PAL passengers with scheduled flights this holiday season. The strike ban will assuage the anxiety of our passengers in the midst of PALEA’s repeated strike threats,” he added.

Bautista said PAL has always maintained that Malacanang has primary jurisdiction over the labor dispute. He stressed that it was PALEA that sought presidential review of the earlier order of the Labor Department recognizing the flag carrier’s prerogative to restructure its organization and implement a spin-off plan affecting some 2,600 workers.