Up to 44pc salary cut elevating hardships of PIA employees: PALPA

LAHORE: Pakistan Airlines Pilots’ Association (PALPA) has said that the employees of the national airline, the Pakistan International Airline (PIA) were facing hardships due to further reduction in their salaries, which takes the total salary cut up to 44pc.

Appealing to the government, PALPA spokesperson said that despite the Covid-19 outbreak, they have been working relentlessly for the progress and reputation of the national carrier, ensuring all possible services to passengers. “We have always been at the forefront of any difficult situation.”

The spokesperson claimed that on top of the initial salary cut of 19pc, a further 25pc deduction has been put in place by the Pakistan International Airlines Corporation Limited (PIACL) management despite the directives of the prime minister not to reduce any employees’ salaries during the pandemic. 

“We sincerely hope that the prime minister will intervene in this matter to end the difficulties of the pilots and other employees,” he said, adding “the latest admin order No. 13/2020 dated October 27, 2020, shows the management’s vengeance in total violation of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Annex-6 and ANO-V of Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA).” 

With the said admin order, PIACL management has introduced a culture of harassment for pilots. The very idea to impose financial penalties using Flight Data Monitoring System (FDM) is in explicit contrast and averse to this non-punitive concept, he added. 

The spokesperson stressed that the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) crew was risking its lives to keep the airline service operational, even though very few airlines were operating passenger flights due to Covid-19 pandemic.

“Without any notification, further deduction in gross salaries of the pilots is unjustified and will lower the already rock bottom morale of the community which is demoralised and under severe pressure due to stressful and draconian working conditions. This situation is a grave safety hazard and may potentially compromise flight safety,” he said.

However, as per sources at PIA, the management has not revised or reduced salaries, instead, it has taken measures to ensure optimum flight hours are put in by pilots.

Speaking to Profit, a spokesperson from PIA explained, “PIA pilots used to get 75 flight hours guaranteed flying allowance However, their average flying was less than 40 hours a month. Comparing it with industrial standards across the world, this was far too less.”

“As a result, this meant that a pilot reporting sick and not working was getting the same salary as a pilot putting in 50 flying hours. Senior pilots and PALPA reps would not fly often knowing that they would receive full salary and their flying allowance.”

This step has been called the “rationalisation of salaries and allowances” by PIA. As a result of this, pilots will be getting 50 hours flying allowance. If they fly more than 50 hours, the incentive they receive is that their allowance will increase by 10 per cent.

It is also pertinent to note that PIA is continuing with guaranteed flight allowance, despite this not being an international industrial norm. Internationally, pilots are paid their allowance as they fly.

The average flying allowance is Rs11,000 per hour as per sources at PIA.