Supreme Court Bars PIA From Hiring Fresh Employees

[Abbas Ali]

December 15, 2012

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Friday directed the management of the national flag carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), from making fresh appointments and summoned the PIA chairman and Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) director general on the next date of hearing. A three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, heard a suo moto case against irregularities in the PIA as well as constitutional petition, filed by PML-N leader Marvi Memon, seeking direction of the court to probe into the affairs of the airline, and to ascertain corruption, mismanagement on part of the organisation.

The court directed the PIA management to stop new hiring in the organisation, besides directing it to provide record pertaining to the past employment in the national flag carrier. The court also summoned the PIA chairman and CAA DG with comprehensive plan for the improvement of the organisation.

Raja Muhammad Bashir, lawyer for the PIA, informed the court that the new administration of the organisation is not responsible for the wrong decisions, made by the earlier administration.At this Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali asked the counsel as to whether any action was taken against the wrong decisions, made by the past management.

On the last hearing, the PIA lawyer had admitted before the court about losses of Rs119 billion and a frequent delay in the PIA flights.

During the Friday’s hearing, the chief justice observed as to how the national flag carrier could make profit when it employed 450 people on a single plane.The chief justice asked the counsel for PIA about the details of people, employed in the organisation on the recommendation of influential people in two years.

Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali observed that hiring of employees still in progress in the organisation.The chief justice observed that the fares of other airlines companies are quite less but they are making profit. The chief justice said that the national flag carrier should not go in loss.

Meanwhile, the court directed that domestic flights should not be delayed besides directing the management to stop new appointments in the organisation and adjourned the hearing for two weeks.

APP adds: The Supreme imposed ban on fresh appointments in the PIA till the court decides the fate of a case on illegalities and irregularities in the national airline.

The other members of the SC bench were Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali and Justice Jawad S Khawaja.Meanwhile, counsel for the PIA Raja Basheer Ahmad handed over a booklet to the chief justice containing the material revealing poor financial conditions of the airline.

According to the booklet, in 2012, the PIA sustained the loss of Rs22.43 billion against Rs19.29 billion in the previous year proving that the losses were swelling every year.During the proceeding, the chief justice asked as how many employees were working on regular basis and contractual basis and asked the concerned authorities to present record in this regard.

Moreover, Marvi Memon said the PIA authorities should be asked as to why the flights get delayed every day, requesting the court to direct the PIA to reform the entity without any delay.

The chief justice expressed his surprise to know that the PIA had no concrete plan to replace old aircrafts with the new ones.To this, the PIA chief engineer informed the court that they were getting eight aircrafts on lease under new policy allowing to get six to seven years old aircrafts what he observed would help improve the situation.

Source: The News

[Abbas Ali]

PIA has gone to the Supreme Court with an appeal to allow the airline to induct new employees and renew agreements for employees hired on contract.

The airline says that its operations are getting affected due to shortage of professionals. It has not inducted new employees under court order.

PIA in its appeal has given an assurance that all employees will be inducted on merit and will be given salary according to the market.

https://www.express.com.pk/epaper/PoPup ... e=20181106

Abbas

[Abbas Ali]

PIA has been asked to provide the list of vacant positions in the airline. Next hearing of the case will take place on November 16.

The court remarked that PIA already has too many employees and questioned why the airline wants to hire more people.

Abbas