ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday felicitated the new office-bearers of PIA's workers union on their election and urged them to dedicate them for the development of a competent workforce in the organization.
The new president of PIA's union Hidayatullah and general secretary Mohammad Ashraf, both belonging to the Peoples Unity group, were voted by the workers in a recently held referendum for the PIA Collective Bargaining Agent (CBA).
In a message of felicitation, the President said their victory was a manifestation of workers' confidence in their abilities and leadership to address their concerns and issues.
The President expressed the hope that they would devote themselves to the welfare of the organization and resolve the problems of the PIA workers.
He said the Pakistan Peoples Party draws its strength from the laborer and working classes. He said from Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, the party had always been in the forefront of struggle for safeguarding the rights of the working class.
The President also recounted various measures taken by the present government for the welfare of the workers, the wage earners and the dispossessed.
He said under the Benazir Stock Option Scheme, workers had been made shareholders, for the first time, in state-run enterprises. A special programme called the Benazir Income Support Programme has been launched to empower and lift the poorest of the poor from despondency and despair, he said.
The President said in line with the government's commitment towards the welfare of workers, the parliament passed two important bills to protect the workers from exploitation and arbitrary termination from service.
He mentioned that last week, he gave assent to the Industrial Relations Act 2012 to protect the rights of workers against arbitrariness.
He said Federal Minister Syed Khurshid Shah had been specially tasked to look after the workers' interests and advised them to keep liaison with the minister for the welfare of workers.
The President said the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) was a national asset and a contended and satisfied workforce was a guarantee of the success of this national airline.
He said the offices to which they were elected also placed on their shoulders great responsibilities and expressed the hope that they would successfully discharge their duties towards the workers and the organization.
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