Another example of government’s tardiness
The PALPA maintains that the PIA management failed to train pilots before adding to the aircraft crew, leading to a situation where the flights that should be operated by two sets of crew members are planned to be operated by one which is in violation of the CAA rules. Furthermore, pilots are made to fly beyond the stipulated flight duty time limitation (FDTL). This too is violative of the international airlines rules. That the PIA Chairman promptly called on PALPA leadership to end the strike and hold talks to settle the demands indicated that the dispute could have been resolved through negotiations. Under the situation the strike which is supposed to be the last remedy was uncalled for, all the more so when it was bound to lead to hassle for thousands of passengers.
The strike which began on Thursday led to 75 flights being cancelled over five days. People had to miss important assignments. In cases patients who had been advised treatment abroad were forced to delay travel. To add further to the passengers’ problems, private airlines, including the one owned by a federal minister, doubled the fares which amounts to simple exploitation. Meanwhile, the PIA has lost Rs42 crore in revenue.
What is missing in the episode is a role by the government. Members of the business community have called for including the PIA into the list of essential services and ban the trade union activity. The suggestion would create more problems instead of solving any. Similarly, the suggestion to recruit pilots from abroad is equally unrealistic. While the Opposition Leader Khursheed Shah has supported the PALPA strike, there has been no word from the government for days. This was presumably because the Prime Minister who is supposed to hold keys for every locked door was abroad. The strike has taken place at a time when the PIA is required to deal with the hajj traffic also. One hopes with Nawaz Sharif back the administration would move ahead to resolve the issue, as governments are supposed to be never short of options.
