Source: Don Pangan Facebook Account, Tuesday, March 29, 2011 at 2:51pm

PAL’s misnamed “counter-proposal” is a “terminate first, negotiate later” position. The “counter-proposal” to PALEA’s proposed CBA is a confirmation of management’s bad faith and stubborn refusal to negotiate with the union. It is evident that PAL has no intention to negotiate. What PAL wants is MASS TERMINATION first before CBA NEGOTIATION.

Even if the Decision of the Office of the President is not yet final and has just been issued a few days ago, PAL asserts that the CBA “counter-proposal” shall cover only those employees who will be left behind after the mass termination.

PAL is conveniently using the case before the Office of the President as an excuse to defeat PALEA’s right to collective bargaining.

As PALEA has stated as early as last year, the company’s planned mass termination of thousands of regular employees and union members is intended to evade PAL’s responsibility to negotiate a new CBA with PALEA.

Despite the excellent financial condition of the company – US$ 75.0 Million or PHP 3 Billion, for nine months –  PAL refuses to share the benefits of the company’s operations to its workers, through a CBA.   After making its workers sacrifice their collective bargaining rights for more than a decade, PAL now rewards them with termination and refusal to bargain.

PAL is adopting a three-strike approach against PALEA:

First, PAL violates the workers’ RIGHT TO SECURITY OF TENURE by terminating thousands of regular employees;

Second, PAL violates the workers’ RIGHT TO SELF-ORGANIZATION through its efforts to bust the union;

Third, PAL violates the workers’ RIGHT TO COLLECTIVE BARGAINING by refusing to bargain with PALEA for a new CBA.

We had expected the PNoy government to uphold workers’ rights, but we were greatly disappointed.   Unfortunately, the government, first, through the DOLE, with Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz, and, now, the Office of the President, with Executive Secretary Jojo Ochoa, has sided with PAL, and has permitted PAL’s assault against the workers’ fundamental rights.

With this situation, when even the government is willing to sacrifice the rights of workers in favor of Lucio Tan’s company and interests, we have no other recourse but to use a right that is still within our hands, the RIGHT TO STRIKE.

In resorting to a STRIKE, we do not fight for money, we fight for our rights!  And we fight not just for PALEA members, but for all workers in the country.  ANG LABAN NG PALEA AY LABAN NG LAHAT!

March 29, 2011

Gerry Rivera

PALEA President

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