The general body of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) retired employees demanded immediate increase in the pension of retired PIA employees as the increase was otherwise given to them once in a decade.
PIA Retired Employees Association (PIAREA) President Syed Tahir Hassan presided over the general body meeting of the association which was well attended by large number of retired employees along with foreign and outstation representatives.
The meeting welcomed the recent suggestion of increasing the salaries of PIA employees by the PIA management, and demanded that now it was time to increase the pension of all retired employees as promised by the PIA chairman during a recent meeting, while adding that retired employees were finding it extremely difficult to survive with meager pension in the face of growing inflation.
PIAREA also demanded that the payment of commuted amount and Matured Group Insurance should also be given to the retired employees of the airlines.
Tahir Hassan further said that the pension of retired employees of the national airline was very low as compared to the pensions of retired employees belonging to other government departments, therefore this discrimination should be ended and a due raise in the pensions should be given to the retired employees.
“This policy of denying the lawful rights of the retired employees of PIA should be changed, and they should be given their legal rights by making their pensions respectable by raising the number from the current mark of 32 percent to 50 percent, per government rules,” the general body meeting demanded.
He added that pension should be increased every year in line with the salary increase of the regular employees according to the Admin Order 21/2003 of the airlines that stated that the ex-staff pension would be raised along with the salaries of its in-service staff.
Currently, the national airline gave its employees 32 percent of their total salary as pension, but the formula it applied in the end calculated pensions on basic pay scale. The PIAREA president demanded that the airline should either give them 50 percent pension on the basic pay scale or the 32 percent pension should be given on the total salaries.
“According to the rules, the PIA Pension Trust Fund should have Rs 25 billion to Rs 35 billion earmarked for the retired employees of the national airline. So any increase in the pensions will not affect the PIA’s budget,” he reasoned.
Furthermore, Tahir Hassan said that due to rising inflation, the retired employees of the airline were facing hardships and therefore it was the need of the time to give them their due raise in their pensions.
In the end, the PIAREA president said that PIA chairman should also consider the valuable services of the retired employees and must give them their due right in terms of pension. He also offered the services of the retired employees in the best interest of the national airline.