Unions to launch a consumer boycott of PIA in UK

[Abbas Ali]

By Lizzie Murphy
May 16, 2006

CAMPAIGNERS against the victimisation of aviation workers are to descend on Bradford today to launch a consumer boycott of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).

Global union body the International Transport Workers' Federation, acting on behalf of eight Pakistani trade unions, says it aims to pressurise the Pakistani government into restoring trade union rights for aviation workers. Five union activists have been dismissed and several others suspended.
As part of the campaign, a protest will take place at the Pakistani Consulate in Bradford, with leafleting at mosques and Sikh temples in Leeds, Bradford and Manchester.
Together with British and Pakistani airline workers, the federation will urge members of Britain's Pakistani and wider communities to support the boycott.
The ITF believes that with the active support of the Pakistan government, the airline has victimised union members for years, suspending and sacking them, even when their tactics have been ruled unlawful by the Supreme Court.
A ruling by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), following a complaint by the ITF, claimed that the government was violating trade union rights.
David Cockroft, ITF general secretary said: "A boycott is a tactic we don't use lightly, especially against an airline where our people are working, but we've tried everything else – from persuasion, to petitions, to the ILO."
Mohammed Taj, a general council member of the British TUC and the ITF affiliated Transport & General Workers' Union (TGWU) added: "These practices have no place in a modern nation, a modern airline or a 21st century industry."

Source: Yorkshire Post

[raza]

There is a similar drive in Germany. The union has sent pamphlets to PIA employees which urges "not to fly with PIA because of illtreatment of their workers".

[Abbas Ali]

London & Bradford Protests Launch Pakistan International Airlines Boycott

Acting on behalf of eight Pakistani trade unions, whose repression by the government has been internationally condemned, the ITF will join with British and Pakistani airline workers to ask concerned members of Britain’s Pakistani and wider communities to join them.

The campaign begins today with a protest at the Pakistani Consulate in Bradford and a rolling campaign of leafleting at mosques and Sikh temples in Leeds, Bradford and Manchester, followed by an action in London.

The website for the campaign is http://www.itfglobal.org/boycott-pia

The ITF states that with the active support of the Pakistan government, PIA has attacked union members for years, suspending and sacking them with impunity, even when their tactics have been ruled unlawful by the Supreme Court. To defend its affiliated union members the ITF took Pakistan to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), which ruled that the government was violating trade union rights - a judgement which it has chosen to ignore.

David Cockroft, ITF General Secretary explained: “A boycott is a tactic we don’t use lightly, especially against an airline where our people are working, but we’ve tried everything else – from persuasion, to petitions, to the ILO. The trade unions in Pakistan are being hit hard, and they’re asking us to help them hit back.”

Mohammed Taj, a General Council member of the British TUC and the ITF affiliated Transport & General Workers’ Union (TGWU) - which represents PIA employees in the UK - and Chairman of its national Race Equality Committee, commented: “With the help of the government, PIA has been getting away with the suppression of workers’ rights for years. These practices have no place in a modern nation, a modern airline or a 21st century industry such as aviation.

“Our brothers and sisters in Pakistan are calling on their colleagues and their kin in Britain and beyond to support them. That is why we are taking the heavy step of asking the traveling public to choose another airline when visiting Pakistan.”

Source: clickwalla.com

[Abbas Ali]

Campaign material including model letters to President of Pakistan, Chairman PIA and 'Don't fly PIA' leaflets in Urdu, English, German, French, Italian and Dutch languages can be downloaded from following link:

Link: Don't fly PIA - Campaign material

[Abbas Ali]

Pressure on Pakistan International Airlines Increases

A week ago, the ITF declared a consumer boycott of the company on behalf of eight Pakistani trade unions, in response to long term, government-supported repression of trade union and individual rights, which has been repeatedly condemned by the ILO (International Labour Organization).

ITF Civil Aviation Secretary Ingo Marowsky today met with the Counsellor of the High Commission, and First Secretary of the Pakistan Embassy in London to explain the reasons for the boycott and explain that the way ahead is for the Pakistani Government to repeal its anti-union legislation and encourage PIA to accept dialogue with the nation’s unions. Immediately after the meeting he was able to join supporters at a protest outside PIA’s London office.

Meanwhile trade unionists in Nepal, Fiji, France, Italy, Denmark, Bulgaria, Iceland, Indonesia, Italy, Malta, Norway, Spain, Sri Lanka, Thailand and the USA have expressed their solidarity with their colleagues in Pakistan through protest letters, rallies and leafleting of PIA customers at airports.

Source: www.clickwalla.com

[Aftab PK786]

Asalamulkium,

I personally believe that these eight Pakistani people are the most stupid people that man has created. The reason being that by boycotting Pakistan International Airline, they are:

1) Hurting not just PIA but Pakistan and they call themselves Pakistani,

2) For their own benefit they want to cause millions of loss to an airline that is connecting them back to their homeland PAKISTAN,

3) Ruining the airline reputation,

Also by boycotting the airline, it will not get them anywhere because people who are loyal to the airline like me, everyone in this forum and millions of my fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters around the world will still use the airline because it is are national carrier to are homeland. Basically my point is that diplomacy is the way forward and threats and boycotts don’t do any good but cause bitter relations and lead to many tensions.

[pkjet]

This news is also in this weeks Eastern Eye :

http://www.easterneyeuk.co.uk

I've never seen the general public of all backgrounds take such an interest in a Pakistani institution.

Lets hope the crew can start to get proper rest between flights too.

My friends literally land, sleep and are back in the air again.

Gone are the days of longer slips !

[PK777]

This news is also in this weeks Eastern Eye :


Lets hope the crew can start to get proper rest between flights too.

My friends literally land, sleep and are back in the air again.

Gone are the days of longer slips !

So what are the average rates for crew to stay in a country they have landed in ? e.g for BA/AA/EK airline crew

[PK777]

ITF boycott of PIA continues

By Sher Baz Khan

ISLAMABAD, May 29: As a consumer boycott of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) by the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) enters the third week, the national flag carrier has reaffirmed its policy of not allowing its workers to form trade unions.

PIA chairman Tariq Kirmani told Dawn that the consumer boycott announced by the London-based ITF on May 14 would not hurt the airline’s business and reputation.

Announcing the boycott, the ITF had started distributing pamphlets at various international airports asking passengers not to fly with PIA after the management sacked a number of employees for their alleged involvement in union activities. The federation also held protests outside PIA offices in various cities of the United Kingdom.

Mr Kirmani said PIA did not give any right to its employees to form unions. The management took care of its workers’ rights, including promotion, salary raise and other matters.

Those violating the ban on forming unions would be punished, Mr Kirmani said in reply to a question.

He, however, said he did not know the exact number of employees fired for involvement in union activities.

The ITF says that with the support of the government, PIA had used an anti-union legislation to sack the general secretary and publicity secretary of the ITF-affiliated Air League of PIA Employees and refused to hold dialogue with pilots.

“Six more were suspended for criticising the company’s attitude, followed by four more in March who had been giving out leaflets (asking passengers travelling on PIA to boycott PIA)”, says an ITF statement.

“In response to our actions in Great Britain this week, hundreds of unions - from countries such as Bulgaria, Iceland, Indonesia, Italy, Malta, Norway, Spain, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and the USA - responded to the ITF’s campaign by sending online protest letters and emails to President Gen Pervez Musharraf and to PIA (management)”.

ITF Civil Aviation Secretary Ingo Marowsky met the counsellor of the Pakistani High Commission in London on May 24 to explain reasons for the boycott.

Source: Dawn Newspapers, 2006