The National Commission for Industrial Relations of Pakistan (NIRC) condemned three senior officials of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to six months in prison for contempt to the Court after repeatedly challenging the judicial orders, according to an official ruling issued on Thursday.
The commission also imposed a fine of RS50,000 in each official. Not paying the fine will result in an additional prison of one month.
In a detailed verdict, the NIRC member, Abdul Ghani Mengal, found the CEO attached Khurram Mushtaq, the director of Human Resources Athar Hussain and the general manager of PIA Baluchistán, Sadiq Muhammad Lodhi, guilty of contempt. The Court declared the three not eligible for employment or future representation in any public, semi -government or governmental institution.
The Commission also ordered an immediate suspension of the salaries and financial privileges of the officials.
The ruling comes from a petition presented by 17 Baluchistan -based PIA employees, seeking a permanent state of employment under section 25 of the Baluchistan Industrial Relations Law of 2010. The workers, employed as janitor and cleaners, argued that they had served the airline during the periods of two to twenty years without being regular.
The Labor Court initially dismissed its plea, but then confirmed the Baluchistan Labor Appeals Court in a ruling of March 24, 2012 that ordered its regularization. PIA challenged the decision in the Superior Court of Baluchistan and later in the Supreme Court, but both appeals were dismissed.
Despite the clear instructions of the higher courts, PIA did not implement the ruling. The commission said that more than seven years had passed without compliance and that the airline not only ignored the decision but also responded to the contempt notices.
The court observed that, although some employees were finally regularized, the process did not take into account the judicial instructions and omitted the payment of retrospective financial benefits.
“This contempt action is not motivated by personal revenge, but is essential to defend public trust and dignity of the Judiciary,” the ruling said.
The Court ordered the relevant police stations, the General Police Inspectors in Baluchistan and Islamabad, and the prison authorities to act immediately on the arrest and imprisonment of the convicted officials. He also issued a notice to the Ministry of Defense to guarantee compliance with the orders of the Court.
In response, PIA officials announced plans to challenge the ruling in an appropriate forum, stating that the verdict would be disputed in the light of the ongoing privatization process and related administrative challenges.
