550 contract employees likely to lose jobs today

The bill to terminate contract employees of the Transport Department, titled Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Transport Department Services Repeal Act 2024, will be presented in the assembly today. If passed, the result will be over 550 employees losing their jobs.

In 2022, during the PTI government, employees were hired on contract in the Transport Department. To make these employees permanent, a private member's bill was presented in the assembly by PPP MPA Nighat Orakzai, which was approved, and the governor signed the bill into law.

However, despite the bill's approval, the employees could not be made permanent, leading them to seek legal recourse. The government will present the bill today to repeal the act and terminate the employment of these contract workers.

With the repeal of the bill, more than 550 employees will lose their jobs.

Contract employees in the K-P Transport Department have faced significant uncertainty and challenges over recent years, especially concerning their employment status and the transition to permanent positions.

Once blue-eyed boys

Many of these employees were initially hired during the tenure of the PTI government in 2022. These individuals were brought on board to fill vital roles within the transport department, which is responsible for overseeing public transportation, traffic management, and the overall improvement of transport infrastructure in the province.

Despite their important contributions, the contract employees have faced ongoing job insecurity, primarily because of the temporary nature of their positions. Efforts were made to convert these contract-based jobs into permanent roles. A notable attempt occurred when Nighat Orakzai, a member of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly from the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), introduced a private member's bill. This bill sought to grant permanent status to these employees, a move that would secure their livelihoods and enable them to access benefits afforded to permanent government employees, such as pensions, healthcare, and job security.

The bill received support in the provincial assembly and was even signed into law by the governor, raising hopes for the affected workers. However, despite the passage of the legislation, the promised job regularisations never materialised, leaving these employees in a state of limbo.

This led to a sense of frustration among the workforce, many of whom had already served the department for a considerable time.

In response to the government's inaction, some employees sought legal remedies, turning to the courts to push for their rights.

What observers saw as a surprising turn of events, the current K-P government proposed a new bill in 2024 that would effectively cancel the previous legislation aimed at making these jobs permanent. The proposed K-P Transport Department Services Repeal Act 2024 seeks to terminate the employment of over 550 contract employees by nullifying their contracts.

If passed, this move will result in a significant number of employees losing their jobs, adding to the economic and social challenges faced by these individuals.

Critics point out that the situation highlights the precarious nature of contract employment within government departments, where political shifts and administrative decisions can significantly impact job security, leaving employees vulnerable to sudden changes in policy. The debate over contract employees in the K-P Transport Department continues, reflecting broader concerns about labor rights and job stability in the public sector.