The Pakistan Airline Pilots Association (PALPA) on Monday decided to challenge the PIA management’s decision to revoke the right to collective bargaining.

According to 24NewsHD, the PALPA will move the Lahore High Court (LHC) on the subject with an aim to get a stay order over the move, as the lawyers have prepared the draft for appeal.

According to the draft, the PALPA isn’t against the Pakistan Essential (Maintenance) Services Act, 1952 and has been ensuring the continuation of special despite a tough conditions amid the coronavirus pandemic. However, the management has violated the law by cancelling the agreement with PALPA.

The move came as the PIA management last week cancelled the working agreements with all the representative associations of staff members, saying only the union winning referendum would have the status of collective bargaining agent (CBA) and could work legally.

According to notification, different bodies of PIA staffers will no more enjoy the illegal status of bargaining with the management.

The associations affected by these orders are:  Pakistan Airlines Pilots Association (PALPA), Society of Aircraft Engineers of Pakistan (SAEP), PIA’s Senior Staff Association (PIASSA), Pakistan Airlines Cabin Crew Association (PACCA) and Aircraft Technologist Association (ATAP).

These associations had no legal status and were used to force the management to succumb to their illegal demands, the airline said.

A PIA spokesperson said the aforementioned associations will not have any role in future in matters pertaining to the staff members’ salaries and allowance, transfer, refusal to perform duties and others.

The spokesperson said the number of such groups in the airline was much higher when compared with other organisations, which were running a system parallel to the PIA management.

Due to their personal and political interests, the spokesperson said, these associations were a big hurdle in reforms.

According to the spokesperson, the notification is aimed at expediting the process of introducing reforms and restoring the management’s writ in the PIA which has been facing a severe crisis.

However, there is no change in the salaries, allowances and privileges of the staff members.

 The latest move came a day after the federal government declared all the sections of PIA part of essential services and extended the Pakistan Essential (Maintenance) Services Act, 1952 to the national flag carrier.