LAHORE - PIA pilots are likely to go on strike once again to press for their demands stating that things can go worse than before, said sources in the airline while talking to this scribe yesterday.
It merits mentioning here that a couple of weeks back pilots had gone on strike in favour of their demands due to which most of the planes of PIA were grounded.
Pakistan Airlines Pilots Association (PALPA) is going to meet on Tuesday (today) at Karachi to chalk out the strategy of future regarding frosty attitude of PIA management towards their demands, said an office-bearer of PALPA.
He said that following last strike of PALPA Senate Standing Committee on aviation had summoned both parties PALPA and PIA management and things were settled. But after that PIA management backed out from the agreement and refused to sign what was agreed. President Amir Hashmi while talking to The Nation termed the airline’s management’s strategy a trick to halt PALPA movement. He said, “If PALPA decided to go on strike once again things will be worse than the previous situation”.
Another pilot was of the view that 400 pilots were doing jobs of 600 who got nothing during the last move of PIA management wherein 50 per cent raise in salaries was announced for PIA employees. On the other hand 15,000 employees were doing job of 5,000 yet they got raise of 50 per cent in salaries for the only reason that they support ruling political party PML-N, he said. “We are non-political professionals due to which we are not in good books of management”, pilot lamented.
He said that nobody except pilots in PIA was seeking job elsewhere since they were satisfied with their working conditions these are pilots who are leaving PIA every day and joining other airlines but airlines management was unmoved.
A PALPA office-bearer said, “We trusted Senate the biggest forum of the country but same Senate is unable to get signature of PIA management on promised agreement which is a slap in the face of nation and those Senators.”
Sources in PALPA said that government was bent upon extending the services of Amjad Toor as DG CAA for next three years when he is going to be retired on November 28 this month.
Director Flight Operation Salman Azhar was performing duties beyond law since he was on Leave Prior Retirement (LPR) and such employees cannot perform duties more than 3 months.
Pilots seeking sick leave were being summoned by CAA medical board in violation of Supreme Court orders, sources in PALPA disclosed. PALPA will decide on Tuesday (today) during its meeting at PIA headquarter regarding future strategy, a pilot in PIA said.