Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday imposed the Pakistan Essential Services (Maintenance) Act, 1952 on the Pakistan International Airlines Corporation (PIAC) for six months, barring strikes and protests which have caused immense loss to the national carrier. With enforcement of the Act, the members of the PIA have been barred from participating in any union activity, all PIA unions have been dissolved and protesting employees could be arrested.
While talking to media, Chief of Joint Action Committee of PIA''s protesting employees Captain Sohail Baloch said they would continue with the strike they had announced earlier. "We will proceed ahead according to our plan and will declare the plan after receiving the notification," Baloch said while referring to the strike planned for today (Tuesday).
Meanwhile, Pervaiz Rashid, Minister of Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage in a media briefing said after the enforcement of the act, any employee involved in strikes and protest will be terminated.
He said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had promised that no employee would be sent home even if strategic partnership takes place and rights of employees would fully be protected. He warned employees on strike that if anyone is thinking to cause any loss to Pakistan, passengers on national and international level or even to the company would not be spared.
He said the government has already formulated alternate plans; another operational team comprising pilots, flight engineers and staff is ready to replace the one who will go on strike. He ensured the flights status will be operational tomorrow (today) and the strike must be called off. He said these strikes can cause irreparable loss to a passenger who has to meet his ill mother, or to a passenger who has to go for a job interview. Emphasising on the passengers'' loss, he said, the employees will be punished for this crime.
He said it is a crime and enmity against the country to halt flight operations, adding that whoever goes on strike will be terminated immediately. At present, the PIA has 40 aircraft, which are growing rapidly; six months'' of time has already been given to the PIA to boost up it operations and generate revenues so that progress can be made. He said a strategic partnership will be sought after six months, if required, otherwise the government is not in any kind of process for seeking a strategic partner.
PML-N Senator Mushahid Ullah Khan, Chairman Special Committee on PIA''s privatisation, during a media talk said the national flag carrier is an international airline thus anything related to a state entity must be taken care of, adding these strikes could hit country''s image. He said the government has already accepted all demands of the employees and protests/strikes are not the right way to threat and pressurize the government for fulfilment of demands. He claimed there is political agenda behind the strike.
On the matter, Rana Sanaullah said the PIA is not a platform to provide jobs to people but the government''s focus is to make it a profitable entity. Civil Aviation spokesperson Sher Khan told Business Recorder that Prime Minister has approved the summary sent by the Aviation Division focusing on the apprehensions of passengers on national and international level. The purpose of the Act''s imposition is not to disturb the operations of the Pakistan Airline Service. He expressed his hope that things will normalise in two to three days.
Senator Saeed Ghani of the Pakistan Peoples'' Party (PPP) condemned the enforcement of Act in a tweet stating, "Strongly condemn the enforcement of Essential Services Act on PIA. It is sign of dictatorial mindset of the PML-N. We are with protesting workers". PIA has suffered Rs 750 million of loss due to these strikes and if flights did not get operational PIA won''t be able to pay salaries to the employees, says Spokesperson PIA Danyal Gilani.
Senator Mushahid Ullah had announced on Friday that the government had decided to postpone privatisation of the national flag carrier for a period of six months to calculate its performance. He asked the Joint Action Committee of the PIA''s employees to withdraw its decision of strike and resume flight operations; otherwise the government would use its authority and impose Essential Services Act. The PIA employees had announced a strike against the proposed privatisation of the national flag carrier from February 2.