Nepotism allegations: SNGPL hiring continues to violate govt policy

Nearly three dozen candidates recruited without any advertisement.

ISLAMABAD:

The government-owned utility, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL), has recruited close to three dozen employees without advertising the availability of the positions, a violation of government policy.

Official documents from the company presented to a Senate special committee, and made available to The Express Tribune, state that SNGP recruited engineers, helpers, drivers, general duty assistants and welders on the recommendations of senior officials and with the approval of the company’s board of directors, Punjab’s Labour Court and even the president.

SNGPL officials appeared to be prepared to admit the problem. “According to company’s recruitment rules, no candidate can be recruited or hired without advertisement or issuing circular,” said Rehan Nawaz, a senior official of SNGPL.

The company’s managing director, Arif Hameed, expressed his ‘concern’ over the appointments in violation of government policy but said that at least half of the new appointments were made by appointing relatives of current employees under a bi-annual agreement between SNGPL’s management and its labour unions.

Earlier this month, a Senate special committee investigating hiring practices at government organisations found that SNGPL had hired 1,231 employees over the last four years in violation of government rules on provincial quotas.

Senator Nayyar Hussain Bokhari, who is chairman of the Senate special committee, observed: “The recruitments without placing advertisements in newspapers are a severe violation of company rules.”

Senator Shahid Bugti, who is member of the committee, blamed all recruitments that violated government policy on the outgoing managing directors of the government-owned gas companies. Meanwhile, SNGPL has recruited 264 candidates under the ‘blood relations quota.’ Instead of publicly advertising the positions, the company simply sent out a letter to its employees to make recommendations on whom to hire. The company’s human resources officials admit that this was a violation of government policy, since the firm is required to post a public advertisement for all available positions to ensure fairness in its recruitment process.

The SNGP managing director said he was unaware of any such circular being sent to company employees.

The company has also continued its discriminatory policy towards recruitment from Balochistan. None of the company’s executives of board members are from the province. Only 70 of SNGP’s 6,895 employees are from Balochistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 23^rd, 2011.