Chaklala Cantonment Board sacks 58 workers

Swift action raises questions about fairness, transparency of dismissals

RAWALPINDI:

In a sudden move, the Chaklala Cantonment Board has laid off 58 daily wage workers who had served the board for years.

According to sources, the dismissal came after a sequence of events that unfolded over just two days, leaving the affected employees with little time to respond.

On August 7, an office order (No 8575) was issued instructing the daily wage employees, who had been recruited on an 89-day extendable contract, to report to a different branch under the supervision of the Cantonment Board Public Health Officer. These employees including servicemen, plumbers, labourers, and others, were long-serving members of various branches within the board, including engineering, water supply, gardening, and sanitation.

The following day, August 8, 2024, another office order (No 8581) was issued, citing the non-compliance of the employees with the previous day's instructions. This order declared that their services were no longer required and that they had been dismissed from their positions.

Among the dismissed employees are Ahsan Altaf, Zubair Naseem, Haroon Mehmood, Muhammad Nauman Akhtar, Ahmed Ali, Al-Tamish Waseem, Muhammad Aftab, Muhammad Kamran, and others.

It should be noted that these employees had been transferred to different branches by previous office orders issued by the competent authority. According to the rules, no employee is permitted to move from one branch to another on their own accord. However, the recent order of dismissal, issued by Cantonment Executive Officer Muhammad Saleem Watto, ended their tenure abruptly, citing non-compliance as the reason for their termination.

The sudden nature of these dismissals has raised concerns among the affected workers, many of whom had served the board for several years. The swift issuance of the dismissal orders, with little time for the employees to comply with the previous instructions, has led to questions about the fairness and transparency of the process.

In response to the controversy, representatives of the dismissed workers are seeking legal counsel to challenge the dismissals and advocate for their reinstatement. The affected employees have also requested a formal review of the decision, arguing that the abrupt and seemingly unjust nature of the terminations undermines their years of dedicated service.