01 March 2004	Monday	09 Muharram 1425

KARACHI, Feb 29: The International Labour Organization has urged the government to restore trade union activities in the Pakistan International Airlines, saying the ban on such activities was against various ILO conventions, it was learnt here on Friday.

Sources said ILO viewed the Chief Executive's Order No6, under which trade unions and existing collective agreements had been suspended in the airline, to violate ILO's Articles 2 and 3 of the Convention No87 and Article 4 of Convention No98.

The ILO, sources said, urged the government to repeal the Chief Executive's Order No 6 of 2001 and take necessary measures to repeal administrative orders No14, 17, 18 and 25, restoring full trade union rights to PIA workers.

Stressing the need for taking necessary measures to ensure that union's office-bearers enjoyed facilities necessary for the proper exercise of their functions, ILO urged the government to keep it (ILO) informed in connection with measures taken by it (the government) in this regard.

PIA workers' unions had approached the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITWF) in connection with what it termed various anti-worker steps taken by the management, sources said. The ITWF, they said, had moved the ILO.

Sources said workers had submitted to the ILO that owing to the chief executive's order, the PIAC had been excluded from the industrial relations legislation (IRO 1969) while the Standing Orders Ordinance 1968, concerning the terms and conditions of employment, had become non-applicable to the PIA workers.