PIA employees yet to receive dues under VSS scheme

KARACHI: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) employees who opted for early retirement under the voluntary separation scheme (VSS), initiated by the federal government, have yet not received their dues, ARY NEWS reported.

According to details, over 2,000 employees of the PIA opted for the VSS scheme, however, they have yet not received their dues, which were due to be cleared by January 31.

The federal government had provided funds of Rs 9.84 billion to the national flag carrier, however, despite being provided with the funds, it has not yet cleared the dues of its former employees.

Responding to the matter, a PIA spokesman said that they have taken all measures to clear the dues of the employees who availed from the VSS scheme.

“The process to pay off dues is currently being audited by the accountant general,” he said adding that the payments would be cleared in the next couple of days.

It is pertinent to mention here that the voluntary separation scheme (VSS) extended by Pakistan International Airlines (PIA)to employees in order to allow them a compensation amount for leaving the job voluntarily ended on December 31.

According to the details shared with ARY News by the PIA spokesperson at that time, upto 2000 applications of VSS were approved after its launch in the second week of December for two following weeks.

“We have already received funds of Rs 12 billion from the federal government for payments under the VSS programme,” the PIA CEO said.

The VSS was introduced to allow employees to part ways with PIA amicably in order to help the national airline to cut its cost and allocate the expenditure for its long-overdue upgradation.

A mandatory retirement scheme will follow the VSS, under which employees with poor performance will be laid off, the sources said.