PIA spending Rs3bn on medical facility of retired employees

• A PIA official said that about 60 percent retired employees were using medical facility.
• PIA official informed the committee that PIA Board of Directors proposed 36 percent increase in pension for the retired.
• The committee asked PIA BoD to again take up the case of 36 percent increase in pension and examine pension structure of other corporations and look into federal government employee’s pension structure.

ISLAMABAD: The sub-committee of Senate Standing Committee on Aviation on Wednesday informed that Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) was spending about Rs 3 billion annually on providing medical facility to its retired employees.

The committee was chaired by the convener Senator Shaheen Khalid Butt. A PIA official said that about 60 percent retired employees were using medical facility.

He said that PIA employees were entitled to get life time medical facility on PIA account. PIA official informed the committee that PIA Board of Directors proposed 36 percent increase in pension for the retired.

However, he said the BoD keeping in view the financial health of the organization had agreed to increase pension of the retired employees by 15 percent.

The committee asked PIA BoD to again take up the case of 36 percent increase in pension and examine pension structure of other corporations and look into federal government employee’s pension structure.

He further said that the employees drawing pension for over 30 years have been given 25 percent increase, for over 20 years by 20 percent, over 10, 15 percent and employees drawing pension for less than 10 years were given 10 percent raise.

He said that employees had been given Provident Funds and Gratuity facilities on their retirement, while other Corporations were giving only one facility. On an inquiry, the official said that PIA was planning to start flight operation for US.

He said that presently PIA had 12th Boeing 777 and after inducting of two more planes the operation would be started flights for United States.

He said that numbers of flights for Saudi Arabia had been increased while PIA was also planning to start flight operation for Far East.