Akbayan slammed a Supreme Court decision that reverses an earlier court decision that found Philippine Airlines liable for the illegal retrenchment of 1,400 flight attendants in 1998. The October 4 decision was the result of a letter that PAL management sent to the high court pointing out that the decision to reinstate the said attendants was technically flawed.
In 1998, PAL dismissed 1,400 flight attendants, however, it wasn’t until 2008 that the Flight Attendants and Stewards Association of the Philippines (FASAP) finally found justice when the SC ruled that the retrenchment was illegal. PAL management filed frivolous appeals to reverse the decision, even after September 2009 when the Supreme Court ruled with finality that PAL was in the wrong.
“I’m no lawyer or legal practitioner, but I believe it is incumbent upon the Supreme Court to settle the issue without compromising the welfare of workers. Napakaraming options ng Supreme Court para resolbahan ang isyu nang naaayon sa batas, tulad siguro ng pagsasagawang muli nghearings, hindi na nila dapat ini-reverse ang desisyon,” Akbayan Representative Walden Bello said.
Bello also pointed out that the decision created the impression that Philippine Airlines management is above the law and is being “rewarded for their belligerence.”
“PAL and Lucio Tan acted like big bullies – they disrespect workers rights, and they have no regard for the law and the legal process . Meanwhile, FASAP abided by the law and waited patiently for over a decade for the Supreme Court to issue the appropriate decision on their case. When the SC reversed the decision on the case of 1400 illegally retrenched workers, they effectively punished the FASAP for having faith in the legal system and rewarded PAL for its belligerence,” Bello explained.
“FASAP is unfortunately in a very absurd situation. On the one hand the Supreme Court flip-flops on its own decision – they have been saying since 2008 that PAL’s actions constitute illegal retrenchment, but decided to reverse its decision on a mere technicality. On the other hand you have PAL management who has been consistently looking for ways to subvert the law in order to escape management’s responsibility to their employees,” Bello concluded. “In all this, Akbayan remains in solidarity with FASAP. We continue to demand for Lucio Tan to be made accountable for all his anti-labor actions, we continue to seek justice for the workers."###
 |
 |
 |
