PIA decides legal action against protesting employees

KARACHI: The administration of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has decided to take legal action against the employees protesting against the privatisation of the national flag carrier and demanding salary raise, ARY News reported on Friday.

Sources told ARY News that the PIA administration completed its legal consultations to take action against employees protesting against the privatisation plan and demanding salary raise.

The action will be taken against the alleged violations of the Pakistan Essential Services (Maintenance) Act, 1952, which was imposed in May, said sources, adding that the negligence in performing tasks would be considered a crime.

Under the Essential Services Act, the employees were banned from gathering crowds or staging protests or sit-ins.

Earlier, the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) administration sealed the office of the airline’s Senior Officers Association (SSA) for holding protests with other employee associations against the privatisation and bifurcation decisions.

The PIA Senior Staff Association (SSA) office has been sealed by the national airline’s administration for a series of protests against privatisation, bifurcation and for salary raise.

The SSA office was sealed over the directives of the airline’s GM Welfare IR & Sports Shoaib Ahmad Dahri, according to the copy of an email obtained by ARY News.

PIA SSA Secretary General Safdar Anjum said in a statement that the administration took an illegal step by sealing the association’s office. He termed the admin’s move as a bid to destroy peaceful environment.

He vowed that the protests will be continued till the demands are met.

Prior to the development, the PIA employees staged a protest against the proposed privatisation of the airline. The protestors demanded the higher authorities approve their charter of demand.

They also demanded to raise salaries of the employees. The PIA employees also observed a strike for demanding a salary raise.