PU’s former employees protest for renewal of contracts

Protesters were working as non-teaching staff in the varsity

LAHORE: Dozens of contractual employees of the Punjab University, whose contracts have not been renewed by the varsity and were now without jobs, staged a protest outside the vice chancellor’s office.

More than 100 employees have been serving at the Punjab University on an ad-hoc basis for years, whose contracts have not been renewed by the administration this year. The employees were working on basic pay scale (BPS) 16 and 17 as non-teaching staff of the varsity. Former vice chancellor Dr Zakria Zakar issued a letter to deans and heads of departments stating that no contract of the non-teaching staff would be renewed.

Contracts of a total of 49 employees, from both BPS 16 and 17, have not been renewed. The protesting employees demanded they be restored to their jobs. The protesters shouted slogans against the varsity administration and held banners and placards, demanding that the Supreme Court of Pakistan take notice of the move.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Faisal Shahzad Akhtar, the manager of the Punjab University Executive Club whose contract expired on March 31, said he was appointed in 2005 on an ad-hoc basis during the tenure of the then vice chancellor, Lt- General (retd) Arshad Mahmood. He said he had been working for the past 13 years on a contractual basis.

“My post has been advertised, for a permanent appointment twice since then, but no appointment has been made. During the appointment process, the vice chancellor left the varsity. I do not have ‘the approach’ to get myself regularised but other got themselves appointed as permanent employees.”



He said the administration was not letting him go and now he would not be even eligible for another government job. “If the university administration says that the appointments were illegal or against the rules, how come I have served for 13 years with extensions to my contract,” remarked. He questioned that if his appointment was illegal, then how those who were appointed along with him and later regularised were legal? He said by June more than 600 employees would be affected by the varsity’s decision.

The protesters said they would go to the Supreme Court Registry today (Saturday) to request the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take notice of the Punjab University’s decision.

When contacted, Punjab University spokesperson said that the varsity had not sacked any employee. However, he said as per the instructions of the Punjab Higher Education Department, contractual employment without advertisement had been barred. He said those protesting had not been appointed as per the rule. “Because of this, the contracts of these employees cannot be renewed as per the law,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 28^th, 2018.