PIA strike action

Burning tyres, stranded passengers and blocked runways are hardly the image an airline or its loyal employees would like to present. But this is the kind of negative publicity the already ailing PIA has given to the world, which will go a long way in hurting its international brand image.
With high-level negotiations broken down without any workable solution in Islamabad, the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of PIA employees continued to protest on the fourth day straight. Labour leaders have apparently vowed to keep on agitating until all their demands are met - perhaps taking a cue from their brethren in the KESC, who took to the streets last month forcing the management to reverse its rightsizing decision.
"We want cancellation of the code-sharing agreement with Turkish Airlines, sacking of the current Managing Director and reinstatement of employees that have been let go without justifiable reasons," Captain Sohail Baloch, leader of the protestors told BR Research.
At the time of writing this note, however, assurances have been given by the company management that no agreement has been signed with Turkish Airlines. The same has been clarified by separate statements from the Defence Minister and Defence Secretary.
Even if the agreement was signed with Turkish airlines, it is likely that it would have been in the interests of the ailing carrier. Code-sharing has been a popular mechanism for airlines for more than two decades now, because it allows greater connectivity with no capital expenditure of new planes. Typically, airlines share low-load routes to increase profitability. So, agreements between any two airlines are mutually beneficial.
PIA has been costing Pakistani taxpayers billions of rupees in losses every year. Restructuring, through any means is in the best interests of not just the company, but the employees and the countrys tax-paying public as well.
As regards sacking of the MD Ejaz Haroon, the government has so far denied this claim. Conflicting statements about over-stepping authority and seeking revenge from labour unions are making the rounds. In either case, the courts instead of airports are the more appropriate platform to lodge protest.
Perhaps the most pertinent issue for the strikers is giving back jobs to the sacked employees. Retrenchment is always a sore point, more pointedly so in public sector organisations. But in PIA, which has an estimated 450 staff per plane, against the global industry average of around the 200 mark, the rationalisation of excess staff is in fact a key step towards achieving break-even for the organisation.
The airline industry around the world is rife with strike action; however critical service requirements are met both by staff and management, so that the consumers of the service don have to bear the brunt of it. Sadly, however, PIAs labour union fails to understand this.
Sabotaging the commercial interests of an essential service is detrimental to the cause of all stakeholders. Passengers across the country have been stranded at airports while others have been informed that flights have been delayed until further notice.
And then they say they are great people to fly with.