ECOP joins call for govt action vs. abusive ex-PAL workers

MANILA, Philippines–The Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) has joined the snowballing call for government action against violent abuses of outsourced employees of Philippine Airlines (PAL).

“It will be difficult for ECOP and all employers to ignore the continuing travesty of justice being committed by former PAL employees against PAL,” said ECOP President Edgardo Lacson in a statement issued Thursday.

While ECOP’s member-associations and employers recognize the rights of labor to air their grievances, “this right is not absolute and must be staged within the bounds prescribed by (the Labor Department’s) rules,” he said.

Pending resolution of a case filed by PALEA with the Court of Appeals, ECOP said “the union should observe the rule of law by allowing normal operations and not engaging in very disruptive picketing of PAL’s premises.”

Terminated PAL workers on Oct. 29 turned violent and blocked an exiting PAL truck from the PAL Inflight Center building using truncheons, wooden planks spiked with nails and even threatened to torch the truck, resulting in the driver’s injury and hospitalization of a PAL security guard.

ECOP appealed for the lifting of the “illegal barricade immediately” for the sake of the “health, safety and well-being of the protesters.”

Earlier, the Federation of Philippine Industries (FPI), Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FFCCCI) and Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) issued separate statements urging for swift and decisive government action in resolving the standoff between PAL and the separated workers.

The business groups said increasing number of incidents of harassment inflicted on PAL employees and equipment is “not conducive to business and could discourage investors.”

The FPI, FFCCCI and PCCI urged government to protect the rights of business in the same way that workers’ rights are protected by existing laws.

Last week, PAL called on the country’s business groups to collectively appeal for better protection of business against dismissed workers who prevent the free pursuit of their trade.