ISLAMABAD, Jan 3: A labour court has stayed the implementation of the voluntary separation scheme (VSS) by the PTCL.

Ten employees of PTCL, who are members of workers union (CBA), have moved the National Industrial Relations Commission (NIRC) and against the alleged pressure by the management to accept retirement under the VSS or face ‘dire consequences’.

Led by the CBA’s secretary general Rana Mohammad Tahir, employees had appealed to the labour court for ‘justice’. The NIRC headed by Justice (retired) Rashid Aziz Khan has asked the management to appear before it on Jan 9.

The PTCL management is of the view that no one is being forcefully fired or compelled to opt for the VSS. But, every now and then, the workers union has been coming up with a totally different version, terming the scheme a move to materialise one of the country’s biggest lay-offs.—Staff Reporter