Aquino orders legal action vs PAL union over work stoppage

Tokyo—A dismayed President Benigno Aquino III has ordered Palace lawyers to check whether Philippine Airlines employees could be charged in connection with the cancellation of flights triggered by their work stoppage amid heavy rains Tuesday.

The President said he initially considered the move by the PAL Employees’ Association (Palea) as a form of “economic sabotage,” but later decided to allow his legal team to look more closely into the work stoppage.

“I thought about that this morning,” he told members of the Philippine media delegation over coffee at the Imperial Hotel late Tuesday night.

Mr. Aquino said he had been informed about a previous meeting in which Palea was reported as saying its members had “no plans to embark on such an activity.” He said the group should have issued a 24-hour notice that its members would not go to work.

“They didn’t do any of those things and there was even a typhoon,” the President said.

Quoting a provision in the Civil Aviation Authority Act of 2008, he said the employees could be “penalized with imprisonment ranging from one year to three years or a fine of not less than P50,000, but not exceeding P500,000 or more as determined by the court.”

Considered as “acts leading to the disruption of airport services,” he noted, was the refusal of an employee to “perform tasks such as personally manning checking counters, to check in passengers.”

“Our lawyers are still checking how clear the violations are,” he said.