PAL says strike over, downsizing<\/p>\n
MANILA (Reuters): Philippine Airlines unilaterally declared an
\nend to a six-day strike yesterday which has crippled its
\noperations and said it was looking for new pilots.<\/p>\n
The announcement came as a surprise to the striking pilots,
\nwho maintained that talks were continuing with the government and
\nPAL management.<\/p>\n
The Philippine flag carrier also said it now planned to
\noperate a limited international network and an expanded domestic
\nservice.<\/p>\n
\"The strike is over and a downsized Philippine Airlines
\nemerges from the ... illegal walkout (by pilots),\" the airline
\nsaid in a statement.<\/p>\n
Members of the 620-strong Airline Pilots Association of the
\nPhilippines who failed to comply with a Labor Department order to
\nreturn to work have now lost their jobs, the company said.<\/p>\n
\"We were surprised when the statement was faxed to us. As far
\nas we know, our officers are still meeting with the Labor
\nSecretary and PAL management,\" association spokesman Aimee Gloria
\ntold Reuters.<\/p>\n
Labor Secretary Cresenciano Trajano yesterday arranged a last-
\nminute meeting between the strikers and PAL management.<\/p>\n
\"Hopefully, if they can mull over their respective positions
\nand possible accommodations overnight ... they will come to some
\nbetter appreciation of the total problem by tomorrow and that
\nmight lead to some accommodations,\" President Fidel Ramos told
\nreporters.<\/p>\n
The pilots went on strike on Friday to protest against the
\nsacking of a union member and a cut in crew rest periods during
\nstopovers on trans-Pacific flights.<\/p>\n
\"We are putting an ad in all newspapers tomorrow,\" PAL
\nspokesman Rollie Estabillo said, referring to the plan to hire
\nnew pilots.<\/p>\n
He said he could not say how many new pilots would be hired.
\nPAL vice-president Manolo Aquino said it could take more than a
\nmonth to train the new pilots before the airline could resume its
\nnormal flight schedule.<\/p>\n
Only 20 percent of daily flights, mostly on domestic routes,
\nare now running, led by 33 management pilots. The airline was
\noperating only two of its regular 26 international outbound
\nflights yesterday.<\/p>\n
Estabillo said PAL was considering closing down some
\noperations if its finances deteriorated further. \"We're looking
\ninto that. We're still trying to decide on what to do,\" he said.<\/p>\n
PAL said it would sell or lease several of its 54 aircraft,
\nincluding newly acquired planes from Airbus Industrie and Boeing
\nCo, to improve its cash-flow.<\/p>\n
It plans to deploy its long-haul aircraft on domestic routes.
\nPAL, which is suffering losses due to its oversized bureaucracy
\nand heavy debt burden, is losing 150 to 200 million pesos ($3.75
\nto $5 million) in revenues daily as a result of the dispute.<\/p>",
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