Major relief announced for retired PIA employees

KARACHI: An important and welcome decision has been made for retired employees of Pakistan International Airlines, under which the old system of their medical facilities has been restored.

This decision is expected to provide major relief to thousands of former employees who have been struggling for better medical facilities for a long time.

According to reports, a Karachi court, while giving its verdict on a petition filed regarding the medical facilities of retired PIA employees, declared the current insurance system of the administration as illegal.

The court clearly ordered that the old system of medical facilities already in force for retired employees be restored immediately.

The petition was filed by Air League President Shamim Akmal and other retired employees. The petitioner’s lawyer argued that the PIA administration had restricted retired employees to specific hospitals and limited medicines under the new insurance agreement, while payment of non-penal services was also stopped, causing severe hardship to the elderly employees.

Further arguments were made that according to PIA’s personnel policy manual, retired employees are entitled to OPD and specialist treatment expenses, so the new agreement is a violation of the PIA Corporation Act.

After hearing the arguments of the parties, the court reserved the verdict and later declared the restrictions imposed by the administration and the new insurance system null and void and ordered the restoration of the old policy.

After this decision, thousands of retired PIA employees and their families have expressed satisfaction and it is being called a big relief.