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10/04/2010
Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) divulged yesterday the average payscale of its cabin crew to show that they are not underpaid amid a looming strike threat by the Flight Attendants and Stewards Association of the Philippines (Fasap) claiming unfair labor practice.
PAL said in a statement that it was exasperated by its cabin crew union’s propaganda, adding its flight attendants are well paid and receive some of the best benefits that are the envy of other Filipino workers.
PAL spokesman Cielo Villaluna said officers of the (Fasap) have not been forthright in informing the public of the real salaries and benefits that the PAL cabin crew receives.
“Fasap claims their basic pay is below the government set minimum wage, but this is just a portion of their salary. The truth is they receive much, much more,” she said.
The actual gross monthly pay of a PAL cabin crew, Villaluna said, ranges from P33,000 to P75,000, inclusive of productivity pay and other allowances.
“A domestic crew earns between P34,619 and P37,619 per month, including productivity pay, transportation allowance and rice allocation. An international cabin attendant receives P50,741 to
P60,136, while a flight purser gets P67,880 to P73,570,” Villaluna said.
She stressed that while this salary range may be modest compared to the payscale of giant carriers abroad, this is no small amount by Philippine standards. Hence, claims that PAL cabin crew are overworked and underpaid are not true.
Villaluna said their total pay is composed of the basic salary and per diem of $45 to $70 each when staying overnight at an international destination; $100 each when on a technical stop; $20 each for every regional turnaround flight; P185 each for every domestic flight; an additional pay for every hour in excess of their tour of duty of $50 plus $20 for international flights and P1,250 per hour for domestic flights.
The benefits provided the crew also include first-class hotel accommodation at domestic and international stations, transportation allowance (or free pick-up from/to residence), free meals in flight and on ground, crew shuttle to and from airport, thermal clothing allowance (twice a year), shoe allowance of P1,200 for male and P800 for female (twice a year), uniform allowance of from P11,022 to P16,376 (every 18 months), suitcase costs from P1,563 to P3,647 (replaced every two years), complete medical and dental coverage for cabin crew and their qualified dependents, 13th and 14th month pay, unused days off converted to cash, unused sick leave converted to cash, perfect attendance award — equivalent to one month pay plus per diem, and retirement benefits of 1.5 month for every year of service.
“All this time Fasap has been presenting to the public and the government a picture that is totally opposite reality. Fasap is free to show proof if the wages and benefits we have just revealed are not true,” Villaluna said.
PAL also urged Fasap to be truthful in presenting to the public the significant highlights of the four conciliation meetings brokered by the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB).
“Instead of alarming our passengers with threats of strike, Fasap should at least disclose the exchange of proposals and counter-offers to show who was taking a hardline position during the conciliation meetings,” said Villaluna.
PAL’s offer of P80-million in additional salary plus P25 million in rice allowance (total of P105 million), change in retirement age to 45 (from 40) and increase in the cabin crew’s maternity benefits were rejected by Fasap who insisted on their original positions before unilaterally declaring a deadlock in the negotiations.
A militant solon expressed disgust, meanwhile, on the Palace’s position to block the planned strike of PAL flight attendants if the negotiation this week between the employees’ union and management will not posper.
“The Palace is sending a bad signal by using the Assumption of Jurisdiction to threaten PAL employees from waging a strike. This not a good sign for workers under the new administration,” said Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Javier Colmenares.
“This policy of Assumption of Jurisdiction (AJ) has been in the labor code since the Marcos Dictatorship. It was used to quell the workers’ movement during the martial law. It was ammended during the late President Corazon Aquino’s time but it just worsened the labor situation because it only broadened the powers of the labor department and the government to supress the workers from waging strikes to fight for valid labor issues. The last administration excessively used AJ to quell workers’ rights in the name of ‘industrial peace.’ Even the strike by the Hacienda Luisita workers was subjected to AJ and up to now, there has been no resolved to their land issue,” Colmenares added.
He said that in the case of PAL, it is the employees or the workers, as always, will be most affected by an AJ order.
“The Palace and the labor secretary should rethink and uphold the intent of the labor code to insure industrial peace based on social justice. The issue here is about an unjust policy being enforced by the PAL management. For social justice to be in place, the PAL management should just merely withdraw the policy so as to prevent a strike. In the first place, PAL management should recognize the major contribution of its employees in its business,” Colmenares said.
He also said that the labor code should be reviewed, and be rid of unjust provisions because instead of serving to protect the workers, it has become a vehicle for big business interests to abuse our labor force here and abroad.
Colmenares also recalled that the Philippines is a signatory to international laws such as the Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize Convention (No. 87) as well as the Right to Organize and Collective Bargaining Convention (No. 98). “It is therefore expected that the country respect and protect these rights and to respect and promote workers’ unions,” he added.