April 13, 2008	Sunday	Rabi-us-Sani 6, 1429

KARACHI, April 12: A group of flight engineers, who have challenged in the Sindh High Court the termination of their services by the PIA management, have accused the airline of not implementing the court’s restraining order and not compensating the flight engineers for March.

The civil suits of the flight engineers, who were co-manning PIA’s B747 aircraft, came up before the SHC when the counsel appearing for the plaintiffs, Mohammed Amin Lakhani, moved an application seeking the implementation of the restraining orders dated March 17 and 18.

He submitted that the PIA, in spite of the restraining order, had failed to compensate the flight engineers for March.

The counsel appearing for the PIA sought time to file his reply to the application and the matter was adjourned to April 22 and the restraining order passed earlier in favour of the flight engineers was extended.

The flight engineers maintained that their services could not be terminated because they had not committed any offence or violated any law.

Under Chapter 15 of the PIAC Personnel Policies Manual, Section 10(2) of the PIAC Act 1956, and Section 888 of the PIAC Regulations 1985, an employee’s services can only be terminated on commission of acts constituting misconduct or moral turpitude.

If an employee is found guilty of misconduct, a mandatory show-cause notice has to be served 90 days before a personal hearing by the chairman.

In lieu of the notice, three months salary, in conjunction with all financial and pensionable benefits accruing to such an employee, has to be disbursed.

The flight engineers are seeking realisation of an acquired and vested right.

They are demanding that if, in fact, their services are no longer required, all affected parties be offered the mandatory or voluntary retirement/separation scheme, as was emphasised by the then chairman of the Pakistan International Airline before the caretaker cabinet took over.