British Airways pilots ground planes in unprecedented 48-hour strike

LONDON - British Airways pilots began a 48-hour strike on Monday, grounding most of the airline's flights and disrupting thousands of travelers' plans in unprecedented industrial action over a pay dispute.

The British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) last month gave the airline notice of 3 days of industrial action in September, in what is the first ever strike by BA pilots.

Following the strikes on Sept. 9 and 10, another day of industrial action is scheduled for Sept. 27.

BALPA has said that British Airways (BA) should share more of its profits with its pilots. BA has said the strike action is unjustifiable as its pay offer was fair.

Thousands of customers have had to seek alternative travel arrangements, and the airline has come in for criticism over how it handled communications with passengers ahead of the strikes.

"This strike will have cost the company considerably more than the investment needed to settle this dispute," BALPA General Secretary Brian Strutton said in a statement on the eve of the strike.

"It is time to get back to the negotiating table and put together a serious offer that will end this dispute."

Last Thursday, the airline dismissed a new offer by BALPA as an "eleventh hour inflated proposal" that was not made in good faith. BALPA had said it would have called off the strikes this week if BA had engaged with the offer.

A spokeswoman for Prime Minister Boris Johnson has urged both sides to end the dispute.

Asked about the strike action, a spokeswoman for British Airways said: "We remain ready and willing to return to talks with BALPA."

The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is investigating the airline after it enraged some travelers by wrongly telling them their flights had been cancelled.

The regulator also reminded the airline to proactively tell customers of their rights. During the strikes, BA must offer the passengers reimbursement for cancelled flights, alternate travel arrangements under comparable conditions or a new flight at a later date. 

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Groups gear up for nationwide transport strike; Palace warns of consequences

MANILA, Philippines - As transport and cause-oriented groups led by Piston (Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytors Nationwide) gear up for Thursday's nationwide strike against the value added tax (VAT) on oil and the Oil Deregulation Law, Malacanang on Wednesday warned the groups that they would “face the consequences” if something troublesome happens during their protest action.

“We always have maintained that this is a franchise. This is a privilege, not a right. You have to be responsible for your actions,” Palace spokesman Edwin Lacierda said.

“If you do participate, you will have to face the consequences if any untoward incident happens,” he added.

Lacierda said the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) would field 30 buses on Thursday to address a possible trasport shortage. Additional vehicles will also be deployed by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).

“We are prepared for the transport strike tomorrow. The MMDA, AFP, the Department of Public Works and Highways, and the Philippine National Police are all ready to provide assistance, making sure that the public will not be inconvenienced by the transport strike,” he said.

“We hope also that those who will participate in the transport strike will not cause harm to the riding public or to threaten or to prevent them from going about their daily business tomorrow,” Lacierda added.

The MMDA will set up a command center as early as 3 a.m. on Thursday, according to Lacierda.

Transport groups are urging the government to remove, suspend, or reduce the VAT oil or repeal the Oil Deregulation Law.

Bagong Alyansang Makabayan secretary general Renato Reyes Jr. said removing the VAT on oil would provide direct and immediate benefits to some 426,000 jeepney drivers, 581,000 tricycle drivers, and 8.6 million households that use cooking gas.

Removing the VAT will lead to a reduction of oil prices by P6 to P7 a liter, according to Reyes.

Meanwhile, the Department of Education (DepEd) on Wednesday said it would be up to local school officials if they would suspend classes due to the strike.

“We are not recommending the suspension of classes so may pasok po tayo bukas [we have classes tomorrow],” said DepEd Undersecretary for Regional Operations Rizalino Rivera.

“Local government units will take the lead since they are the ones in the field, who know how to assess the situation if there is a need to suspend classes or not due to the transport strike,” he added.

Rivera said DepEd had already directed its regional, division and city and schools superintendents to coordinate with local officials in assessing the situation, especially if public transport would be totally paralyzed. In such situation, local education officials can already recommend class suspension, he said.

In Metro Manila, the DepEd-National Capital Region is coordinating with the MMDA to ensure that public transport will not be affected and teachers and students can report to classes without disruption, according to Rivera.

The DepEd is part of the inter-agency Task Force on Transport Strike and Mass Actions headed by the MMDA in Metro Manila. In the provinces, it is the Department of the Interior and Local Government that leads the task force.

Piston national president George San Mateo said only a transport caravan would take place in Metro Manila to dramatize the group's opposition to the continued increase in oil prices.

San Mateo said the caravan would assemble at 8 a.m. in front of the National Housing Authority office at the Quezon City Elliptical Circle before proceeding to the offices of the “Big 3” oil firms in Makati.

At 5 p.m., San Mateo said Piston would be joined by Anakpawis, League of Filipino Students, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan and other organizations in another mass action at Welcome Rotunda, Mendiola and near the Pandacan oil depot in Manila.

Simultaneous mass actions will also be held in Isabela, Baguio City, Laguna, Bicol, Iloilo City, Panay, Cebu, Dumaguete, Bacolod, Cagayan De Oro, Davao City, General SantosCity and the Caraga region.

source: interaksyon.com