LAHORE: The PIA employees suspended their work for some hours at its main office on Egerton Road against the proposed privatisation of their organisation.

The protest also caused problems for those coming there for buying tickets.

The demonstration was part of the countrywide protests called by Joint Action Committee of PIA employees, an alliance of several PIA workers’ unions that agreed on the one-point agenda to “resist the proposed privatisation”.

“We will continue with our protest until the government withdraws the controversial ordinance and ensures us that it has no plans to privatise PIA,” an employee said, adding the staff would go on a ‘complete strike’ if the government did not withdraw the ordinance.

Under the presidential ordinance, the Pakistan International Airlines Corporation (PIAC) has been converted into a company governed by the Companies Ordinance, 1984. All lenders (foreign, local, fleet and non-fleet) and other creditors of PIAC shall continue to enjoy from PIACL the same contractual benefits and protections that they earlier enjoyed. All guarantees given by the federal government to secure PIAC’s obligations will now continue so as to secure the obligations of PIACL.

Published in Dawn, December 18th, 2015