Pay withheld: Over a year later, reinstated FDE employees still without salaries

The 53 teachers have not been paid since mid-2010; FDE says most have fake qualifications.


Our Correspondent February 11, 2012

ISLAMABAD:


Fifty-three reinstated Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) employees said on Thursday that they have not been paid salaries for the past 18 months.


These employees were reinstated under a presidential ordinance in 2009 along with over 500 other FDE employees. In the past year and a half, they said, they have been regularly performing their duties.

“Withholding our salaries without any reason is illegal and against the reinstatement order,” said Yasin Khan, an affected schoolteacher. “You can imagine how we are suffering. We don’t even have money to pay our utility bills, fees, kitchen expenses and house rent.”

An affected employee said he has been regularly going to his school since receiving the reinstatement letter, but has not received any salary since August 2010. He believed they were being ignored by the FDE because they do not have any political backing.

Azhar Khan, another affected FDE employee, said, “If we don’t fulfil the criteria, then we should be issued termination letters with reasons; why are our fates hanging in the balance.”

These employees, both men and women, were hired before 1997 when the Pakistan Peoples Party was in power. Later they were fired by the Pakistan Muslim League N-led government in 1997 and 1998 as most appointments were made on political grounds.

Fake employees?

FDE Director General Atif Mehmood Kayani said that a committee had been formed to scrutinise the reinstated employees before he assumed charge as the FDE head. He said the committee proved that most of these employees were fake.

However, he added, another inquiry committee is rechecking the cases and a decision would be taken after the inquiry report is completed. He said that employees that have taken advantage of the reinstatement ordinance and entered the department with fake credentials would be fired.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 11th, 2012.

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