PAL cancels three flights

THREE Philippine Airlines (PAL) flights in Cebu for Manila and another three incoming flights from Manila were cancelled from  afternoon until yesterday evening.

PAL Cebu spokesman and HR manager Antonio Flores said they are still trying to normalize operations after the work stoppage by PAL’s employees association on Tuesday.

Since PAL management decided not to allow those who joined last Tuesday’s work stoppage to return to work yesterday, Flores said volunteers and even loyal union members manned the airline’s services.

Flores said they are hopeful to completely normalize their operation on Oct. 1 once the spin-off of three units starts tomorrow.

He said this means the service providers will also start deploying their workers.

Flores said the passengers whose flights were canceled were given the options of re-booking their flights on another date or endorsed to other airlines.

PAL also billeted passengers with connecting flights abroad in hotels, Flores said.

Of the 206 PAL employees to be retrenched after Sept. 30, about 27 of them refused to accept the notice of separation.

The rest decided to accept the offer of the management for separation packages.

Flores said those who refused to accept the notice of separation can still get their separation pay if they want to.  The release of the separation benefits will be on Oct. 15.

Eutiquio Bulambot, member of the PALEA board in Cebu, confirmed that 90 percent of affected PALEA members in Cebu accepted the separation packages. Correspondent Jhunnex Napallacan