HYDERABAD, Feb 28: Pakistan Telecommunication Employees Union (CBA) president Mr Ziauddin has said the PTCL management has assured the union that the new administration of Etisalat will not undertake downsizing after taking over the charge of the company.

He was speaking at a news conference at the Market telephone exchange on Tuesday. STR-I general secretary Shakeel Ahmad Khan and other union leaders were also present.

Mr Ziauddin said the union had launched a struggle against privatization of the company fearing retrenchment of employees by the new management but the union stopped its campaign following successful negotiations with the management. “The union has been assured that none of the employees will be sacked by the new management,” he claimed.

He also referred to other achievements of the union during talks with the management such as increase in salary, leave encashment and promotion of employees to next cadre if the employee in question was working in the same cadre for 12 years.

Referring to adjustment of employees of the telegraph sector following closure of telegraph services by the PTCL, he said he had been invited by PTCL president Junaid I. Khan to a meeting in Islamabad in the first week of the next month on the one-point agenda of adjustment of the employees. “I myself belong to the telegraph sector, that’s why I am aware of their apprehensions,” he said. He said the telegraph employees would be adjusted in cities where they were presently working.

He clarified that no employee would be put in the surplus pool.

The union leader admitted that there was unrest among employees of the PTCL because of delay in finalization of the deal with Etisalat and said it was up to the government to materialize the deal as soon as possible.

“The Etisalat management will have to honour commitments given to us by the PTCL and the PTCL board,” he replied when asked whether the new management would be morally bound to honour the agreement signed between the PTCL union and the management. He warned that if there was any breach of commitment, the union could also retreat from the agreement.

He said that currently even the PTCL management was unaware when Etisalat would take over the control of the company.

He said the Privatization Commission had also assured that Etisalat had been taken into confidence regarding the agreement singed between the PTCL management and the CBA union following a protest movement.