There should be unified pay scales for government employees in different departments.
PANDOWAL DERA: I recently came across the strange phenomenon of people serving in different government departments, performing very similar duties but having huge differences in the salaries they draw. I was surprised when I came to know that a driver of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) is withdrawing a monthly salary of Rs90,000, while on the other hand, a driver working for the judiciary is being paid Rs50,000 monthly, whereas a driver of another government department is drawing a salary as low as Rs10,000.
The judiciary, the police, the SBP, the armed forces and many other departments give their employees special allowances, which jacks up their monthly salaries considerably. Then why do some other departments of the same government treat their employees in a shabby manner?
It is requested that the authorities concerned look into the matter and ensure that everyone is treated in an equitable manner. There should be unified pay scales and all special allowances should be curtailed so that salaries are given according to a given pay scale. Moreover, special pay scales should be abrogated as soon as possible.
Zafar Iqbal Ranjha
Published in The Express Tribune, September 22nd, 2012.
