Back on track: PIA union workers call off strike after eight days of protests

Chairman JAC says they have ended the strike after being given enough assurance on the matter of privatisation

The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of protesting Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) workers have called of the eight-day-long strike and asked its members to resume flight operations.

“Since the committee has been given enough assurance on the issue of privatisation, it was not required to further continue the strike and stall the flight operations,” Chairman JAC Captain Suhail Baloch said while speaking to the media.

“We will prove that we can revive the ailing national airline. I don’t see why we can’t do that if we all work hard and are able to revive PIA within a time of six months to a year,” he added.

He said further details will be disclosed after the union meets with Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif in Lahore tonight (Tuesday).

Meanwhile, after eight days of stalled operations due to the ongoing protests by the airline employees, the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) restored its domestic flights on Tuesday.

According to Express News, the first domestic flight to take off was PK-308, which left Karachi for Islamabad, restoring the operations after days of strike by workers protesting against priviatisation of the national flag carrier.

The Pakistan Air Lines Pilot Association (Palpa) did not endorse the stance taken by the PIA's Joint Action Committee (JAC) and called for resuming the flight operations.



The strike was further weakened by the groups formed within the JAC, who disagreed with the approach held by the union leadership.

Earlier during the day, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ruled out the possibility of talks with protesting workers until they return to work.



The premier appears to have stiffened his stance, barring his party members from meeting any labour representatives until PIA’s long-disrupted flight schedule becomes normal again.

Insiders in the PM House told Express News that Privatisation Commission Chairman Muhammad Zubair has been directed to continue working on setting up a new airline as decided earlier, besides looking for a potential buyer for the ailing national carrier.