PAL vows to comply with DOLE labor standards

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) on Thursday said it will cooperate with the government and correct the supposed the violations of Philippine labor laws earlier flagged by Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III.

Bello on Wednesday said initial findings of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) showed that PAL and PAL Express violated several labor laws.

"We noted violations on general labor standards. For example: underpayment of wages, non-payment of overtime pay and service incentives," Bello said.

"If and when these infractions are validated, PAL will require said service-providers to comply with a specified period as provided by DOLE rules and require submission of respective proof of compliance," PAL operator PAL Holdings Inc. said in a filing on the Philippine Stock Exchange.

According to PAL, it received the initial results of the DOLE audit, dubbed as the Special Assessment Visit of Establishment (SAVE) earlier this week.

"The Department of Labor and Employment has sent Philippine Airlines the results of its initial Special Assessment Visit of Establishments or SAVE covering four stations – Bacolod, Dumaguete, Davao, and Zamboanga, citing so-called violation of labor standards (underpayment of wages, overtime pay, and underpayment of service incentive leave)," it said.

PAL management is now verifying such reports, and will correct those practices if the reports are found true, the company said.

"As we strive to sustain safety and service as the cornerstone of PAL operations, we welcome the conduct of such SAVE assessments from the Labor Department as these ensure a check and balance mechanism, which will ultimately redound to the benefit of PAL and its passengers," it said. — Jon Viktor Cabuenas/VDS, GMA News