Govt approves laying off one-third PIA employee.

ISLAMABAD -- The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government on Monday approved, in principle, a plan that seeks to lay off over 3,800 regular and contractual employees of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) - one out of every three persons - to cut annual losses by Rs4.2 billion. The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet, which approved the Voluntary Separation Scheme (VSS) for the PIA employees, also sanctioned over Rs38 billion additional budget for the military to fence PakAfghan border and give allowances to the armed personnel. The ECC approved Rs12.87 billion as the cost of VSS to be paid in two- and-a-half years' time. The PTI government has already approved a plan to lay off

9,350 employees of the Pakistan Steel Mills. 'After through discussion, it was decided to approve, in principle, the voluntary separation from service scheme for PIA,' the Ministry of Finance announced after the meeting of the ECC. The decision to offer VSS to about 3,861 regular and contractual employees and restrict the PIA own...