PAL assures air safety amid labor revamp

Strict passenger safety standards will remain in place at Philippine Airlines (PAL) even if a number of its non-core functions have been outsourced. This was the assurance given by PAL spokesperson Cielo Villaluna after union members hinted on Tuesday that outsourcing may compromise passenger safety. “Controls will be in place," she told GMANews.TV in a phone interview. “Workers will still undergo training and will be required to comply with standards." On Tuesday, officials and members of the Philippine Airlines Employees Association (PALEA) raised possible safety concerns after the company said that it will outsource 2,700 jobs in its airport services, call center, and inflight catering operations. “Even experienced workers make mistakes," a PALEA member told GMANews.TV. “What more will happen if we are replaced by those people without any experience at all?" Airlines are obliged to pay dollar-based fees to international regulatory bodies if their employees fail to recognize counterfeit passports and travel documents, or fail to input correct passenger information, said the PALEA member who refused to be identified. Other PALEA members interviewed by GMANews.TV — all of whom opposed the airlines’ outsourcing plan — said that many of them also secure various licenses and permits, not only from airport agencies but other bodies as well, as part of the requirements for their employment. Besides getting security clearance, a ground equipment operator — who manipulates various vehicles that sit alongside a parked plane — is required to secure a driver’s license from the Land Transportation Organization, another Aircraft Movement Area permit, and a similar clearance from PAL operations itself. Meanwhile, Villaluna said that “it is understandable that the workers will be upset" over PAL’s plan to outsource jobs. The plan will cut their medical and travel benefits, she said. At the same time, she also said that “workers will not lose their jobs," adding that the airline “didn’t plan this [outsourcing] overnight." “Outsourcing non-core businesses has been the trend among airlines in Asia," she said. “Everyone bit the bullet. It’s really a matter of survival." (See: PAL to drop 2,700 ‘non-core’ workers despite strike threat)—JV, GMANews.TV