The president of the International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations (IFALPA), a global representative body of more than 140,000 professional pilots in nearly 100 countries around the world has written letters to Pakistani President and Prime Minister.
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Captain Jack Netskar writes in his letter that “we have been advised by the Executive Board of the Pakistan Airline Pilots Association (PALPA), a Member Association of our Federation, that Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has unilaterally decided that the Collective Labour Agreement (CLA) between the parties does not suit PIA management and has declared the CLA null and void. We understand that this management action has forced PALPA to take legal action to defend the rights of the pilots at PIA.”
He further said that “these actions are causing great concern to IFALPA and the international pilot community at large.” And he called these actions as “a flagrant violation of workers’ fundamental rights to organize and rights to organizing and collective bargaining, as established by ILO Conventions 87 and 98, both ratified by Pakistan and in force in your country for almost 70 years.”
Adding the importance pilots amid crises like COVID-19 captain Jack Netskar wrote “the value of PIA pilots and their contributions is magnified dramatically when an airline is facing difficult economic times like PIA has for many years and becomes absolutely invaluable during a crisis like the one we are all facing.”
In the end, Jack Netskar requested to Prime Minister Imran Khan and President Arif Alvi on behalf of all of IFALPA members around the world to “intervene and urge PIA management to recognize the CLA with the PALPA pilots and work with them to reach a solution in a respectful and professional manner”. And he offered that “IFALPA and myself are ready to contribute to any sustainable solution to the current deadlock”.