I would like to draw your attention towards the maltreatment with the retired employees by Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), the PIA board of directors, PIA management, and by the federal government.
The retired employees of PIA have been made to face an injustice for a long time as there is only single increase in their pensions during 2009 to 2017. It was only increased in 2013.
According to the admin order No 21/2016 dated July 26, 2016 the salaries of GM and above were increased with effect from October 1, 2015 (Rs 74000) and then further increased with effect from January 1, 2017 (Rs 56000), making the total increase of Rs 130,000 approximately.
The management should increase the pension of retired employees as per its circular No 21/2003 dated July 31, 2003. It is mentioned in this circular that ‘in future revision/suitable increase in pension shall be linked with salary revision of serving employees’.
The ground reality is that almost every year there is plausible increase in the pensions of federal and provincial government employees at the time of budgets but this doesn’t happen in PIA.
The national airline gives its employees 32 percent of their total salary as pension but the formula (which was adopted in 2003) it applies in the end makes the pension calculated on their basic pays. This is not fair.
As per rules all other governmental organisations give their retired employees 50% of their salaries as pensions. This was also in practice at PIA till the end of 2003. Now, the management should restore that practice.
The retired employees have been demanding since long that the airline should either give them 50 percent pension on the basic pay or make the 32 percent pension to be given on their total salaries without the said formula.
I request to the Prime Minister of Pakistan, federal Finance Minister, and Chairman PIAC that pensions should be increased in line with the salary increase with the ratio of serving employees, and in future pension increase should be made as per increase in federal budget every year by the government.
Bashir Ahmad
Ex-General Manager
(Public Relations), PIA
