ECONOMIC Coordination Committee at its meeting on Monday approved in principle Rs 12.8 billion for the Voluntary Separation Scheme (VSS) for permanent employees of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). After reviewing the number of employees who opt for the VSS, the cost of this scheme will be worked out. However, the ECC decided to approve the summary in principle so the PIA is granted a green signal to go ahead.
There is no doubt that massive political appointments were made in the airline in previous regimes. It enjoys the unpleasant distinction of being airline with the highest number of employees on its rolls per aircraft and no reputed airline in the developed or developing world has a staff-to-aircraft ratio as high as that. In this backdrop, offering the VSS to the PIA employees is a step in the right direction to improve the financial health of the national flag carrier which was once considered the pride of the nation. A lot depends as to how the employees of the airline react to the scheme. A similar kind of scheme was also announced for the employees of Pakistan Steel Mills a few months back but nobody knows its fate now as the employees had largely rejected it. In our view, if the employees are offered a handsome package with the surety of timely payment, it will encourage them to opt for it. However, nobody should be forced to take the VSS. We believe the government is also considering similar schemes for other departments. This has created a lot of confusion and uncertainty amongst the employees and affecting the performance of the public sector organizations. We, therefore, will suggest the government to come clear on the matter forthwith. Reforms are a difficult process but it must not remain confined to laying off the employees rather fully utilizing their services through capacity building. The way contractual and daily wagers have most recently been fired in different organizations has only created resentment amongst the people about the government which had promised to provide jobs to millions of people. The employees are also awaiting increase in their salaries and allowances to cope with the current inflationary trends.
