Cleaning house: City sacks 2,500 staffers who were not properly hired
They were appointed during a former EDO’s term.
KARACHI:
Around 2,500 people working for the city government were fired on Wednesday in a sweeping move just days before Eid as the authorities took action against fudged appointments.
The sacked employees were all working on contract in grades 1 to 15. Most of them were paid under Rs10,000 a month. “They were all illegal appointments,” said Karachi Administrator Mohammad Hussain Syed. “They were hired during the term of former EDO Human Resource Management Abdul Rehman Rajput.”
Rajput is being investigated. He authorised the hiring without following the proper procedure of interviewing the candidates and checking their credentials, Syed said. “Some of the appointment letters were issued using the signature of former administrator Lala Fazalur Rehman who later approached me, saying he had not approved any of them.” He said that a ‘complete racket’ was working in the City District Government Karachi (CDGK), giving jobs to people who would only draw a salary but not turn up for work.
“I have set up a committee that will review appeals against our decision. Anyone not happy with us can approach the committee. We will all see how many of them were fairly inducted.”
The CDGK’s decision comes at a time when it is struggling to manage Karachi’s huge payroll.
In two separate notices issued in the evening, the CDGK said that people appointed on one-year contracts since January 1, 2011 have been removed. It also cancelled the promotions and transfers made during this period.
Senior officials serving on extended contracts have not been removed. They include Executive District Officer (EDO) Transport Ateeq Baig, EDO Legal Affairs Manzoor Ahmed and Director General Parks Liaquat Ali. CDGK spokesman Bashir Sadozai could not immediately confirm the number of people who have been removed. He was unable to say how much the CDGK will be able to save by making this decision.
“Some of these people had even been issued appointment letters,” said an official, stressing the haphazard way in which the hiring was done. “In just one day, back in July, some 200 people were appointed.”
The CDGK has not given people permanent jobs since 1997. Since then, many workers have either been rehired or died. The contract or temporary appointments are meant to fill the vacant posts of teachers, clerks, doctors, sweepers, wardens and other jobs.
These appointments are a regular feature, said a former EDO who asked not to be named. “But I wonder why the administrator has only cancelled the contracts signed this year. Is it because he wanted to avoid the criticism?”
CDGK has over 50,000 employees on its payroll. “We needed fresh appointees in hospitals and the fire brigade,” said a senior CDGK official who was involved in the screening process. “I would be lying if I said all the people were hired on merit but most of them approached in response to newspaper advertisements.”
Karachi Administrator Hussain Syed was the District Coordination Officer in January. CDGK officials refused to talk openly on the matter, fearing political repercussion. “We all know who have been given the job in different departments. It is the most easy thing to include the name of a person on the payroll. No one comes to check if you are really working,” said a disgruntled employee.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 3rd, 2011.
Around 2,500 people working for the city government were fired on Wednesday in a sweeping move just days before Eid as the authorities took action against fudged appointments.
The sacked employees were all working on contract in grades 1 to 15. Most of them were paid under Rs10,000 a month. “They were all illegal appointments,” said Karachi Administrator Mohammad Hussain Syed. “They were hired during the term of former EDO Human Resource Management Abdul Rehman Rajput.”
Rajput is being investigated. He authorised the hiring without following the proper procedure of interviewing the candidates and checking their credentials, Syed said. “Some of the appointment letters were issued using the signature of former administrator Lala Fazalur Rehman who later approached me, saying he had not approved any of them.” He said that a ‘complete racket’ was working in the City District Government Karachi (CDGK), giving jobs to people who would only draw a salary but not turn up for work.
“I have set up a committee that will review appeals against our decision. Anyone not happy with us can approach the committee. We will all see how many of them were fairly inducted.”
The CDGK’s decision comes at a time when it is struggling to manage Karachi’s huge payroll.
In two separate notices issued in the evening, the CDGK said that people appointed on one-year contracts since January 1, 2011 have been removed. It also cancelled the promotions and transfers made during this period.
Senior officials serving on extended contracts have not been removed. They include Executive District Officer (EDO) Transport Ateeq Baig, EDO Legal Affairs Manzoor Ahmed and Director General Parks Liaquat Ali. CDGK spokesman Bashir Sadozai could not immediately confirm the number of people who have been removed. He was unable to say how much the CDGK will be able to save by making this decision.
“Some of these people had even been issued appointment letters,” said an official, stressing the haphazard way in which the hiring was done. “In just one day, back in July, some 200 people were appointed.”
The CDGK has not given people permanent jobs since 1997. Since then, many workers have either been rehired or died. The contract or temporary appointments are meant to fill the vacant posts of teachers, clerks, doctors, sweepers, wardens and other jobs.
These appointments are a regular feature, said a former EDO who asked not to be named. “But I wonder why the administrator has only cancelled the contracts signed this year. Is it because he wanted to avoid the criticism?”
CDGK has over 50,000 employees on its payroll. “We needed fresh appointees in hospitals and the fire brigade,” said a senior CDGK official who was involved in the screening process. “I would be lying if I said all the people were hired on merit but most of them approached in response to newspaper advertisements.”
Karachi Administrator Hussain Syed was the District Coordination Officer in January. CDGK officials refused to talk openly on the matter, fearing political repercussion. “We all know who have been given the job in different departments. It is the most easy thing to include the name of a person on the payroll. No one comes to check if you are really working,” said a disgruntled employee.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 3rd, 2011.