Spending cuts: Employees under S&GAD payroll will still work for Secretariat
No final decision has been taken to shift the employees: Secretariat official.
LAHORE:
The Rs109 million cut in the expenditure of the chief minister’s secretariat announced in the 2012-13 budget may prove to be a sham as the secretariat has just shifted the salaries of about 309 employees working for it to the Services and General Administration Department (S&GAD) payroll. The employees have meanwhile been directed to continue to work in the secretariat.
The secretariat will shift 309 employees, working for 25 political figures advisors and special assistants to the chief minister, political assistants, parliamentary secretaries, chief coordinators, media coordinators and mauvins who are assisting the chief minister, to the S&GAD payroll. The employees include deputy secretaries, section officers, assistants, senior clerks, junior clerks, peons and household staff.
The budget allocated Rs259.836 million for the secretariat for 2012-13, rather than Rs368.619 million spent last year. The number of secretariat employees came down from 933 to 624.
The employees will no longer get the special allowance for working overtime. Under this allowance, Rs1,000 per month was given to employees in BS-1 to 3 grades, Rs1,500 per month for BS-4 to 6 grade employees, Rs2,000 per month for BS-7 to 10 grade employees and Rs3,000 per month for employees in grades BS-11 and above.
A senior official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the secretariat will write a letter next week to the accountant general, the S&GAD secretary and the Finance Department secretary to shift the salaries of extra employees posted in the secretariat from July. When the pay shifted to the account of the S&GAD, the secretariat allowance would automatically end, he said. As many as 147 posts at various grades were vacant in the secretariat as they had been abolished and only 162 posts had been shifted to the S&GAD for salary purposes, he added.
The cut in the number of officials was made on the recommendation of Dr Zafar Iqbal Qureshi, the chairman of the Task Force on Strategic Management.
Some officials who were affected by the decision said the end of the special allowance would add to their financial burden. They said asking them to sit late would be unjust after the special allowance was withdrawn.
They said that the government should instead cease paying the utility bills of BS-16 to BS-21 grade officers.
The deputy secretary (administration) at the secretariat Amer Ghazi said no final decision had been taken on shifting the employees.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 9th, 2012.
The Rs109 million cut in the expenditure of the chief minister’s secretariat announced in the 2012-13 budget may prove to be a sham as the secretariat has just shifted the salaries of about 309 employees working for it to the Services and General Administration Department (S&GAD) payroll. The employees have meanwhile been directed to continue to work in the secretariat.
The secretariat will shift 309 employees, working for 25 political figures advisors and special assistants to the chief minister, political assistants, parliamentary secretaries, chief coordinators, media coordinators and mauvins who are assisting the chief minister, to the S&GAD payroll. The employees include deputy secretaries, section officers, assistants, senior clerks, junior clerks, peons and household staff.
The budget allocated Rs259.836 million for the secretariat for 2012-13, rather than Rs368.619 million spent last year. The number of secretariat employees came down from 933 to 624.
The employees will no longer get the special allowance for working overtime. Under this allowance, Rs1,000 per month was given to employees in BS-1 to 3 grades, Rs1,500 per month for BS-4 to 6 grade employees, Rs2,000 per month for BS-7 to 10 grade employees and Rs3,000 per month for employees in grades BS-11 and above.
A senior official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the secretariat will write a letter next week to the accountant general, the S&GAD secretary and the Finance Department secretary to shift the salaries of extra employees posted in the secretariat from July. When the pay shifted to the account of the S&GAD, the secretariat allowance would automatically end, he said. As many as 147 posts at various grades were vacant in the secretariat as they had been abolished and only 162 posts had been shifted to the S&GAD for salary purposes, he added.
The cut in the number of officials was made on the recommendation of Dr Zafar Iqbal Qureshi, the chairman of the Task Force on Strategic Management.
Some officials who were affected by the decision said the end of the special allowance would add to their financial burden. They said asking them to sit late would be unjust after the special allowance was withdrawn.
They said that the government should instead cease paying the utility bills of BS-16 to BS-21 grade officers.
The deputy secretary (administration) at the secretariat Amer Ghazi said no final decision had been taken on shifting the employees.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 9th, 2012.