Pakistan

Regularisation: PSWD employees at risk of losing jobs

The issue has been lingering for one-and-a-half year

Sehrish Wasif July 20, 2016

MoST officials and the committee members seemed confused whether to resolve the issue at the ministerial level or move a summary to the prime minister for its resolution. PHOTO: INP

ISLAMABAD: The fate of 158 employees of the provision of safe drinking water (PSDW) project hangs in the balance as the Ministry of Science and Technology has been unable to solve the issue of regularising their services.

The issue has been lingering for one-and-a-half year even though the Finance Division had agreed to shift 158 posts of PSDW to non-development head and also released funds for this purpose, it has been learnt.

A MoST official told The Express Tribune that the employees, who have been working for the Pakistan Council for Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) for the last ten years, were clueless about the status of their jobs.

“The majority of these employees are highly qualified professionals and the government along with international donor agencies have spent millions of rupees on their training and capacity building,” the official added.

The official said it would not be easy to replace them with fresh hiring because the PCRWR lacks money to train fresh recruits.

The issue of regularising their services was also discussed in the National Assembly standing committee on science and technology during its meeting held last Tuesday.

MoST officials and the committee members seemed confused whether to resolve the issue at the ministerial level or move a summary to the prime minister for its resolution.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 20^th, 2016.