PAL Pilot Exodus
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Let's all copy paste the response of SRS 78 and send it to all our friends, Relative, neighbors, officemate, Barkada...everybody and maybe someone out there will send to the media...so the media would know....The Real Score.
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SR Blog
My two cents. Yes the pilots transferred went at 2P rates - but at the time they were already retrenched and they were offered a job (yes at lower rate but still a job). Recently all have been reinstated at their previous pay due to many issues - so that i have heard. Isn't key issue that all pilpots went to HK for big bucks to pilot 330's right. Well no PR airline can compete with HK rates etc. I am curious why no 5J people where recruited for HK? Seems a little odd?
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Study Now, Pay Later Program
Yes, these are the real reasons why many pilots went on strike during the 90s. And PAL is at it again.
This may sound a little off. But now, PAL is so desperate to get money that it is sending letters to their former pilots, even after 20 or more years, and is saying that their records show that the pilots still have remaining balances in their tuition fees relative to the "Study Now, Pay Later Plan." Imagine, 20 years. Why the f
did they not collect from the pilots while the pilots were still there? 
This may sound a little off. But now, PAL is so desperate to get money that it is sending letters to their former pilots, even after 20 or more years, and is saying that their records show that the pilots still have remaining balances in their tuition fees relative to the "Study Now, Pay Later Plan." Imagine, 20 years. Why the f
did they not collect from the pilots while the pilots were still there?
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to james taylor
the hkg job is in the market since jan 2010 but nobody dared to apply because of the previous situation of that company in 2008,
These redundant pilots tried their luck.
change in management plus infusion of capital made this particular job very attractive.
nobody recruited.
plain and simple word of mouth.
if you think 5J pilots are not aware , don't get shoched,
hope the 2007 indian exodus is still fresh in your memory
the hkg job is in the market since jan 2010 but nobody dared to apply because of the previous situation of that company in 2008,
These redundant pilots tried their luck.
change in management plus infusion of capital made this particular job very attractive.
nobody recruited.
plain and simple word of mouth.
if you think 5J pilots are not aware , don't get shoched,
hope the 2007 indian exodus is still fresh in your memory
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Let's face it -- you can be in just about any profession in the Philippines with the knowledge that much batter pay is abailable abroad.
So all this talk in PAL's press releases (faithfully echoed by the press who like PAL's advertising dollars) implying the problem is pilot's greed in bull. Well managed companies in the Phils do not experience mass exoduses - Pinoys are a loyal bunch if treated with fairness and respect.
So all this talk in PAL's press releases (faithfully echoed by the press who like PAL's advertising dollars) implying the problem is pilot's greed in bull. Well managed companies in the Phils do not experience mass exoduses - Pinoys are a loyal bunch if treated with fairness and respect.
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differences
it is good that the pilots finally found their balls. if ever something good should come out of this, it should be that LT and his management pilots should now find their balls, too and admit that their style stinks. PAL cannot forever rely on government protection and media coddling. it is not the only flag carrier. cebu pacific is also a flag carrier and it carried the flag proudly. that is why it is now the premier domestic airline in the philippines. whatever happened to the PAL smiles? lahat na lang nakasimangot. nobody is really proud anymore to declare himself a PAL employee. everybody seem scared of their tomorrow. there is really no security of tenure thereat. somebody should knock some sense into their managers/officers.
Last edited by parsifal; 3rd Aug 2010 at 08:09. Reason: syntax
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there is no doubt that PAL is on a financial tailspin. however as a fellow aviator and part of the riding public, i am a little worried that pilots can fly away just like that. the public will ask: sure if it's not about the money (and i'm not naive to think it's NOT JUST about the money, mind you), you wanted to screw the airline, but did you have to screw the passengers as well?
PAL cannot claim innocence for threatening people out of their just livelihood, but, really, IF there were indeed fair contractual obligations tying people to the airline (that's the big IF i had long wanted to ask here), were the pilots justified in "breaking" those obligations in the name of screwing the airline?
PAL cannot claim innocence for threatening people out of their just livelihood, but, really, IF there were indeed fair contractual obligations tying people to the airline (that's the big IF i had long wanted to ask here), were the pilots justified in "breaking" those obligations in the name of screwing the airline?
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Jimmy Bautista is denying everything about the Air Philippines issue. He says it's not true that some PAL pilots were transfered to air phil as contractuals. tsk tsk!
I hope some airphil pilots would be willing to speak up.
I hope some airphil pilots would be willing to speak up.
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PAL?s Pilot Woes, Labor Disputes ?a Direct Result of Lucio Tan’s Profiteering, Abuse of Workers? - Bulatlat
MANILA – The way Philippine Airlines management and some members of the press spin the story, many of the airline’s pilots were motivated by nothing else but money when they resigned en masse the past week to seek employment elsewhere, causing cancellation and disruption of domestic and foreign flights.
But what happened this week at the country’s flag carrier is just one of the results of the systematic degradation of working conditions there, beginning with the company’s decision to spin off certain crucial operations in order to cut costs and increase profit. This resulted in the firing of workers and the contractualization of those who remained.
Story continued at the link.
MANILA – The way Philippine Airlines management and some members of the press spin the story, many of the airline’s pilots were motivated by nothing else but money when they resigned en masse the past week to seek employment elsewhere, causing cancellation and disruption of domestic and foreign flights.
But what happened this week at the country’s flag carrier is just one of the results of the systematic degradation of working conditions there, beginning with the company’s decision to spin off certain crucial operations in order to cut costs and increase profit. This resulted in the firing of workers and the contractualization of those who remained.
Story continued at the link.
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Pal Management
lies and threats. that is all i see on the news. they are as stubborn and as stupid as ever. who in his right mind would come back to pal knowing they would dare do those things in the eyes of the general public? i dread to know what awaits the people within after everything dies down and pal management is back to rule its own autistic world. 
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@ Airmax...
Sir, about the airphil issue, why those management from PAL denies it?!
all of the balagbag boys know about this !!
transferring All A320 aircrafts to airphil
and right now...another A320 will be transferred again in airphil.
3229 paint was stripped out and will be repainted.
Sir, about the airphil issue, why those management from PAL denies it?!
all of the balagbag boys know about this !!
transferring All A320 aircrafts to airphil
and right now...another A320 will be transferred again in airphil.
3229 paint was stripped out and will be repainted.
Last edited by x_feed; 3rd Aug 2010 at 14:54.
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Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Editorial
Nineteen flights were canceled over the weekend as 13 captains and 12 first officers resigned from Philippine Airlines. The pilots allegedly transferred to Asian and Middle Eastern airlines which had offered salaries up to thrice the pilots’ pay rates. PAL has rejected the resignations and demanded that the pilots report back to work in the next few days on pain of lawsuits. The airline has also apologized to the public for the flight disruptions, acknowledging its pilots’ supposed moral responsibility to its passengers.
The resignations are said to be in violation of labor rules requiring the pilots to give six months’ notice before resigning, and of company regulations to stay with the airline for a specified number of years to cover the cost of their training. The airline says it takes more than 10 years to “graduate, train, qualify and nurture a pilot to the rank of captain”—and costs more than P12 million.
But other airline employees say that the pilots’ mass resignation is more than a simple case of moving to greener pastures. Some pilots were allegedly forced to take lower salaries, and that their security of tenure was removed. An employee likened the airline’s acts to telling its pilots that they owed their jobs to the company.
Employees are also threatened by the specter of labor outsourcing, an issue that has not yet been resolved. Now flight attendants are complaining of “arbitrary in-flight crew reduction” that has been in place since April.
President Benigno Aquino III recognizes that the disruptions are hurting tourism and trade. A meeting between the government and the airline industry’s represesentatives remains ongoing as of press time, and it aims to push PAL to resolve its conflicts with its employees. And what were supposed to be internal issues have spilled over to the public realm. Because of the public-service nature of the business, the government cannot just sit back and watch.
Still, this is not to say, as some lawmakers suggest, that the government should take over the airline to whip it back into shape. We are certain that when President Aquino talked about public-private partnerships in his State-of-the-Nation Address, this was not what he had in mind.
In the meantime, how PAL intends to attract its pilots back to its fold is a puzzle, especially if they had left as a last resort due to long-standing gripes against management. Maybe, as it sorts out its labor woes and tries to balance its financial with its human resource interests, the airline can include basic courses on professional ethics in its multi-million-peso training for its pilots.
Last edited by srs78; 4th Aug 2010 at 08:44. Reason: Format adjustment
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which side are you reallywannabepilot?
to those pilots that participated in this exodus, good for you! hope you have a brighter future ahead of you. AND if that company you're with right now is worse than PAL, then GO leave that company again, then leave and leave again UNTIL no other airline will take you in. There is a word called 'LOYALTY', or even if you guys have made up your mind, at least have the decency to have a 30day notice, any other job in the world needs a 2wk notice for resignation, what more with an airline as undermanned as PAL FD is. No matter what your frustrations are with the management. Resignation is not just filing your letter and leaving, or filing for indefinite leave and not reporting ever again. Sad to say there were a lot of us looking up to you guys for your wisdom.
I am a PAL employee, and PAL isn't the best airline out there, they are not the most pro-employee company, but they pay better than CEBPAC, ZEST, or any other local airline! Working conditions at CEBPAC is worse than ours!
Yes Beda isn't the best boss, but PAL has been the one feeding our families for years, decades to some! You don't just run and leave like that!
For those arguing security of tenure, tell that to the 8k PAL employee when PAL closes down once again. And this time if it does, let's see if anyone would want to invest any money for a company that has an overhead way above the ceiling, everyone complaining and each department asking for salary increase when airfare are as low as it can get, seat capacity less than 80% full and cargo diminished as well.
For those BALAGBAG boys, PAL has a 10yr contract with LTP until SEPT 2010, you can look for it in PAL'S website, corporate disclosure.
to those pilots that participated in this exodus, good for you! hope you have a brighter future ahead of you. AND if that company you're with right now is worse than PAL, then GO leave that company again, then leave and leave again UNTIL no other airline will take you in. There is a word called 'LOYALTY', or even if you guys have made up your mind, at least have the decency to have a 30day notice, any other job in the world needs a 2wk notice for resignation, what more with an airline as undermanned as PAL FD is. No matter what your frustrations are with the management. Resignation is not just filing your letter and leaving, or filing for indefinite leave and not reporting ever again. Sad to say there were a lot of us looking up to you guys for your wisdom.
I am a PAL employee, and PAL isn't the best airline out there, they are not the most pro-employee company, but they pay better than CEBPAC, ZEST, or any other local airline! Working conditions at CEBPAC is worse than ours!
Yes Beda isn't the best boss, but PAL has been the one feeding our families for years, decades to some! You don't just run and leave like that!
For those arguing security of tenure, tell that to the 8k PAL employee when PAL closes down once again. And this time if it does, let's see if anyone would want to invest any money for a company that has an overhead way above the ceiling, everyone complaining and each department asking for salary increase when airfare are as low as it can get, seat capacity less than 80% full and cargo diminished as well.
For those BALAGBAG boys, PAL has a 10yr contract with LTP until SEPT 2010, you can look for it in PAL'S website, corporate disclosure.
Who wants a deal like this? Actual Docs
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@wamba wamba
you really think PAL is not incurring losses?
make a simple math:
- PAL f/d + cabin crew $ > is way above 5J f/d + cabin crew.
- PAL overall manpower > is way above 5J manpower
- PAL ticket <= 5J ticket
Who would want to buy PAL?? If i have that much money, I wouldn't buy PAL! With such little profit margin, so high overhead and so much union and labor problems.
Why wouldn't you believe what PAL is saying when PAL is a publicly listed company where financial statements are furnished to stockholders?
you really think PAL is not incurring losses?
make a simple math:
- PAL f/d + cabin crew $ > is way above 5J f/d + cabin crew.
- PAL overall manpower > is way above 5J manpower
- PAL ticket <= 5J ticket
Who would want to buy PAL?? If i have that much money, I wouldn't buy PAL! With such little profit margin, so high overhead and so much union and labor problems.
Why wouldn't you believe what PAL is saying when PAL is a publicly listed company where financial statements are furnished to stockholders?
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I guess the question to be asked is what is the bigger picture? Where is all this headed?
When the noise dies down and the media mileage is expended, what will the picture look like? Is there a grand scheme or all just an accidental string of events.
On a parochial scale, will pilot pay be increased significantly to stem the tide? Or will we see implementation of more punitive or restrictive measures against the free flow of labor within the industry? (Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe even CebuPacmanagement is for restricting the exodus of pilots by endorsing previous legislation).
On a bigger scale. the resignations, impending cabin crew strike and opposition to contractualize ground personnel could all be used again to declare bankruptcy and more easily "streamline" the company allowing it to immediately effect the long-planned downsizing (of ground personnel) and laying off (God-forbid) redundant (aka older and striking) cabin crew. Is the plan to split the domestic operations into the LCC Airphil and leave regional/international operations to PAL? (Split or transfer assets so the Marcoses may recover less?)
PAL may be bleeding but he's not been willing to sell it (aside from the bogus SMC overture, there was an actual offer from a Middle Eastern sovereign fund, unimpeachable sources tell me, that ownership rejected). So all this press release about waiting for a white knight is a ruse. And the merger with Phillip Morris gave LT a lot of cash so he has money. Is it just a pride thing or is there something more?
More questions...
When the noise dies down and the media mileage is expended, what will the picture look like? Is there a grand scheme or all just an accidental string of events.
On a parochial scale, will pilot pay be increased significantly to stem the tide? Or will we see implementation of more punitive or restrictive measures against the free flow of labor within the industry? (Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe even CebuPacmanagement is for restricting the exodus of pilots by endorsing previous legislation).
On a bigger scale. the resignations, impending cabin crew strike and opposition to contractualize ground personnel could all be used again to declare bankruptcy and more easily "streamline" the company allowing it to immediately effect the long-planned downsizing (of ground personnel) and laying off (God-forbid) redundant (aka older and striking) cabin crew. Is the plan to split the domestic operations into the LCC Airphil and leave regional/international operations to PAL? (Split or transfer assets so the Marcoses may recover less?)
PAL may be bleeding but he's not been willing to sell it (aside from the bogus SMC overture, there was an actual offer from a Middle Eastern sovereign fund, unimpeachable sources tell me, that ownership rejected). So all this press release about waiting for a white knight is a ruse. And the merger with Phillip Morris gave LT a lot of cash so he has money. Is it just a pride thing or is there something more?
More questions...