KARACHI, Dec 1: The suspended CBA workers union of the national flag carrier has demanded reinstatement of its leaders, who had been sacked on Wednesday, and immediate restoration of trade union activities in PIA.

Addressing a press conference at the Karachi Press Club on Thursday the leaders of Air League of PIA Employees, Shamim Akmal and Sajid Abbasi, said that they had been sacked for urging parliamentarians to initiate a probe into the huge expenditure and certain other activities of the airline’s chief, Tariq Kirmani.

They said that they had just pointed out that keeping in view the poor financial health of the airline, unproductive expenditures be curtailed but the organization continued to spend huge amounts on unnecessary foreign tours by its chief and renovation of the head office building.

They said that the head office building was only ground-plus-two structure but an expensive elevator was being installed there. This is just one example of the wastage of funds.

Pointing out that the salaries of the workers had just been increased by 15 per cent for the first time in seven years, they demanded a suitable pay-raise keeping in view the ever- increasing inflation. They also demanded restoration of the facilities and perks of the staff that had been withdrawn be restored.

The labour leaders said that they had been sacked under the Service Rules 1985 which were formulated during Gen Zia’s ‘anti-worker’ regime. They further demanded that the healthy trade union activities, which had remained suspended for over a half of decade, be restored so that rights of the workers could be safeguarded.