Employee Rights: PTCL reprimanded for misdemeanour

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has reprimanded Pakistan Telecommunication Corporation Limited (PTCL) authorities for ill-treatment of one of its employees, while hearing a writ petition filed by PTCL authorities on Tuesday. The case was filed against decision of the Labour Court which ordered the reinstatement of Shakila Mushtaq, a contract-based key punch operator and to give her all the back benefits.  According to Mushtaq, she was terminated in 2006 and was reinstated on December 13, 2008. “I have been regularised by the Labour Tribunal but still I have not been paid my back benefits since 2006,” she said. Counsel for the PTCL informed the court that Shakila was never their regular employee and was removed in 2006, therefore, the administration was not liable to give back benefits to her. The court dismissed the writ petition and ordered PTCL to pay Rs0.1 million in compensation to Mushtaq.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 7^th, 2012.