PAL retrenchment date marked: March 12

MANILA, Philippines—Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) announced that its retrenchment program would start this coming March 12.

PAL said on Thursday (Feb. 4) that it had completed the process of notifying employees to be retrenched. This is among a series of steps being undertaken by the flag carrier to survive the COVID-19 crisis.

PAL said it was also coordinating with “all our stakeholders, including the affected employees, the unions, and the Department of Labor and Employment.”

“We appreciate the DOLE’s support and guidance since the start of the pandemic, and we have regularly apprised DOLE officials of the significant challenges we faced, along with our efforts to preserve jobs and keep the flag carrier flying amidst the substantial financial losses,” PAL said in a statement.

It earlier said it was cutting its workforce by about 30 percent or 2,300 employees. The figure included both voluntary separation and retrenchment.

Like other airlines, PAL has been incurring heavy financial losses during the pandemic. It also has the widest international network among domestic carriers, exposing it further during the business downturn.

PAL said in its statement it is “committed to providing fair treatment and assistance to impacted personnel.”

“We shall provide separation pay equivalent to one month pay for every year of service and shall also provide employee transition support including outplacement assistance,” PAL said.

“We are deeply grateful to all our employees for their years of valuable work and dedicated service, and will focus strongly on securing a full recovery so that PAL continues to serve our customers and the Filipino nation,” it added.

TSB