MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court (SC) has ordered with finality that flag-carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) must reinstate about 1,400 of its former flight attendants after they were illegally retrenched in 1998.

The decision came after the SC dismissed the two motions for reconsideration that were filed by the PAL management in 2008.

According to the SC decision, which was issued last Sept. 7, 2011, PAL failed to observe proper procedures when it retrenched its 1,400 flight attendants.

“Many of these employees have since then moved on, but the arbitrariness and illegality of PAL’s actions have yet to be rectified,” the SC decision said.

“This case has dragged on for so long and we are now more than duty-bound to finally put an end to the illegality that took place,” it added.

PAL, meanwhile, declined to comment pending receipt of the High Tribunal’s decision. The airline management said it needs to consult with its legal counsel prior to making any statement.

Flight Attendants’ and Stewards’ Association of the Philippines (FASAP) president Robert Anduiza said in a statement Monday they were elated with the court decision ordering PAL to reinstate the 1,400 flight attendants with full benefits.

“It took this long to fight for justice for the 1,400 flight attendants. Finally, this sad episode ends in favor of the oppressed,” Anduiza said.

The 1,400 flight attendants were part of the estimated 5,000 PAL employees who were retrenched by the PAL management in 1998 to cut its operation costs.

In a phone interview, FASAP vice president Andy Ortega said they will meet with PAL management in the coming days to discuss the implementation of the SC ruling.

“We will first meet with our legal counsel before meeting with the PAL management for the implementation of the decision,” Ortega said.

He said many of the flight attendants are now working in other companies and may no longer be interested in being reinstated.

However, he said many of them are still waiting for their compensation from the PAL management, including the payment of their back wages.

Meanwhile, the PAL ground-based labor group reported Monday that there were few takers on management’s separation packages, despites the looming implementation of its spin-off next week.

Philippine Airliners Employees Association (PALEA) President Gerardo Rivera said in a statement Monday only about 390 of its 2,600 employees from the departments, which will be affected by the spin-off, have accepted PAL’s separation packages.