Over 1,000 Biman staff respond to retirement offer
Staff Correspondent
The number of Biman officials responding to Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) crossed 1,000 yesterday, managing director (MD) of Biman said. The 16-day time limit for accepting the offer of retiring willingly ends on Wednesday. The national flag carrier is going become a public limited company (PLC) by the end of this month as declared, Biman MD Dr MA Momen said terming the response to the VRS as satisfactory. On June 5, Biman Bangladesh Airlines offered the VRS to its officials and employees in order to downsize its staff to 3,400 by axing about 1,500 current employees. The scheme is part of the government plan to turn Biman into a PLC and to make it a healthy and profitable commercial venture. The process for turning the airlines into a PLC is nearly complete, Biman high officials said. Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism has almost finalised the Memorandum of Association (rules and regulations of Biman), Articles of Association (terms and conditions) and ordinance, under which Bangladesh Biman Corporation would turn into Bangladesh Airlines Limited, sources said. Many Biman officials and staffs are yet to decide about responding to the VRS. "We will wait till the last date," a Biman official told The Daily Star last night. The Biman has a workforce of 4,800 at present. According to the present organogram, approved manpower of Biman Bangladesh Airlines is 6,800.
| 
