Causing resentment: Cash-strapped PIA to hire about 50 new officers

Airline offers market-based salaries and fringe benefits.

LAHORE: Despite facing a loss of Rs3 billion per month in its operations, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is planning to recruit around 50 officers on key posts from the open market.

“The airline has invited applications for several positions including the chief of information technology, general managers, deputy general managers and managers on market-based salaries and fringe benefits,” said a senior PIA official.

“Recruitments will be made in the departments of research and development, human resources, marketing, handling, planning, sales and customers in a competitive way,” he said. “This is a step towards revitalisation of the national carrier as the airline considers human capital the centerpiece of its turnaround strategy.”

The advertisement to hire from the open market has sent a wave of resentment among the officers who have been working in the airline for the past 15 years in the same departments. Some of them had been awaiting promotion for a long time.

“The fresh hiring will definitely block the promotion of serving officers,” said another senior PIA officer, but requested anonymity.

“It is not a prudent decision to hire staff on market-based salaries while ignoring the deserving officers who were waiting for promotions.”

Talking to The Express Tribune, PIA General Manager Public Relations Hanif Rana, while defending the move to hire new faces, said a good number of managers, general managers and deputy general managers were due to retire in 2016.

“Junior officers were not enough to fill the vacant posts, therefore, it was decided to hire men from the open market under a competitive process,” Rana said.

PIA had faced a Rs42-billion loss in its operations during 2014 and total loss accumulated to Rs3 trillion, the officer said.

Published in The Express Tribune, March  18^th,  2015.

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