MEMBERS of the Philippine Airlines Employees' Association (PALEA) pushed through with a strike vote yesterday, with initial results pointing to most supporting a work stoppage.
PAL Employees' Association (PALEA) president Gerry Rivera said votes from the company's outlying stations in Cagayan de Oro, Iloilo and Puerto Princesa, among others, showed most of the union's members voted for a strike.
Votes from these areas made up about less than 100 of the union's total membership of over 3,700, 2,800 of whom are based in Manila. The strike vote was to have ended midnight yesterday.
In a statement, PALEA said it expects its members to vote and majority to be in favor of the planned strike to protest against what they call as “PAL union busting and unfair labor practices”.
A notice of strike was filed by PALEA last November 5 to protest the airline's move to lay off 2,600 employees from its three non-core units as part of a restructuring plan.
PALEA previously sought the intervention of Malacañang after the Department of Labor and Employment affirmed its earlier decision declaring the spinoff as a legal act.
Despite the looming strike, PAL assured its passengers that flights remain normal and continue to operate as scheduled.
PAL has made arrangements with sister airline Airphil Express and other local carriers to help carry domestic passengers. PAL's 134 interline partners will also take up the slack on international routes.
