This refers to the news story ‘Air India to send staff on leave without pay for upto five years’ (Jul 17). With the operation of flights to Europe and North America banned by EU/DOT, would PIA, which was already overstaffed before Covid-19, emulate Air India management and send most of its employees on forced leave without pay to save costs on the huge number of staff inconsistent with the skeleton operation being undertaken.
Must we wait for other countries to take a lead and then follow them? There is no strategy, no plan and no roadmap to revive the airline and other institutions that are overburdened with employees and thus sinking. Why should state money be used to pay salaries to unwanted personnel who have no work but remain on the payroll of the company? The Pakistan Steel Mills was closed in June 2015 but salaries were disbursed for five years for not doing any work. Does this happen in any other country? If the government wants to show extra generosity, the redundant ones in organizations over bulging with employees must be paid out of funds under the Ehsaas Programme.
Shoaib Arif
Karachi