DOT chief: Govt may tap foreign carriers if strike cripples PAL

The government may be forced to tap foreign carriers if the planned strike of the flight attendants cripples the country's flag carrier, Philippine Airlines (PAL). Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim said on Friday this may be one of the steps the government could take if the planned strike of the Flight Attendants' and Stewards' Association of the Philippines (FASAP) pushes through. On Thursday, the FASAP, a labor union of 1,600 PAL flight attendants, filed a notice of strike against PAL before the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). FASAP is protesting against certain labor practices at PAL such as the mandatory retirement age of 40 for flight attendants. However, PAL countered that the mandatory retirement age was part of their collective bargaining agreement. i>"Kung hindi (magkaroon ng closure), kailangan maghanda ang DOTC na imbitahain ang foreign carriers, kung pwede magdala ng bisita at Pilipino rin. Tayo rin kailangan pumunta, mga OFW, kailangan pumunta sa kanilang destination o mawawalan sila ng trabaho," Lim said in an interview on dzRH radio. (Should labor officials fail to resolve the matter, the Department of Transportation and Communications may have to invite foreign carriers to take up the slack left by PAL. Filipinos have to travel abroad, especially overseas Filipino workers who risk losing jobs if they cannot get to their host countries.) Lim also voiced his dismay over the prospect of a strike although he admitted that both sides in the conflict have valid points. "Nakakalungkot yan, ang publiko ay maantala. Ayoko mag-take ng sides, pumanig sa management o FASAP, ang FASAP meron silang legitimate issues," Lim said. (It is sad that the public will get caught in the middle. I do not want to take sides between management and FASAP. FASAP has its legitimate issues.) Lim said for now, the ball is in the court of the DOLE's National Labor Relations Commission. "Sa labor side kailangan mag-mediate sila para magkaroon ng closure sana (We hope the DOLE-NLRC can mediate and bring closure to this)," he said. — VVP, GMANews.TV