PIA workers threaten protests if privatisation process restarts

KARACHI: Pakistan International Airlines’ (PIA) workers on Saturday threatened to resort to protests if the government reinitiates its plan to privatise the loss-making national carrier, a statement said.

The Joint Action Committee of PIA Employees (JACPIAE) warned the government not to re-initiate the process of privatization of the national airline otherwise the employees will start their agitation yet again.

 “We have reason to believe through actions of management and through media reports  that the government is again planning to initiate the privatisation process of PIA,” Hidayatullah Khan, president People's Unity and deputy convener of JACPIAE, said at a meeting, attended by senior members of other associations and unions in the airlines.

“Employees of the airline would not allow the government to play with their future and sell a strategic national asset through conspiracies.”

The statement said the senate and parliament of the country had suspended airlines’ privatization earlier this year when employees protested against the government’s action.

 “We had a meeting with the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and he categorically stated that he would not privatise the national airline,” Hidayatullah said. “We would resist the privatisation till the very end.”

He said majority of airlines worldwide are operating on very low profits whereas most of them are making both ends meet with the help of their respective governments.

“Even our neighbor bailed out its airline, which is normal practice for other international airlines, but the dilemma of PIA is that all rulers have been speaking loud about it losses yet continued with the policies of nepotism and promoted corruption,” Khan added.