Administrative shortcomings: K-P govt to address service structure issues

Detailed instructions given to department heads, secretaries.

PESHAWAR:

The provincial government has decided to streamline the service structure of government departments and remove any structural deficiencies in the promotion of employees.

Employees of government departments, including the Civil Secretariat, education sector, Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) and health department, were facing problems in getting promoted along with service structure issues. Employees complained those awaiting promotions are often overlooked due to office politics and favoritism.



“All the administrative secretaries and heads of departments have been told to review the service structure of their respective departments for any deficiency,” said an official at Civil Secretariat.

Sources said the regulation wing of the establishment department at the Civil Secretariat had issued detailed instructions to government departments, administrative secretaries and department heads.

The establishment department had previously issued a draft addressing the service structure, but complaints of non-compliance remained.

“The service structure presents issues at the expense of aspirations of the employees,” said All K-P Subject Specialists Association (AKSSA) President Salar Islam Tariq.

Commenting on issues in the education department, Tariq said: “In the Elementary and Secondary Education department, the seniority list of grade-18 officials is yet to be finalised even after a laps of one year.”



AKSSA Press Secretary Hafizullah Wazir said the grade-17 seniority list is also pending.

Recently, private secretaries at the Civil Secretariat were due promotions as prescribed by the Provincial Management Services (PMS) rules. Their promotions, however, were disregarded, creating anxiety among employees.

Wapda employees in K-P also suffer from service structure problems. Pakistan Hydro Electric Central Labour Union (PHECLU) provincial convener Pir Qahirullah said the establishment department’s clerical staff faces similar issues. Some employees should have been promoted long ago, but still remain at junior positions, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 13^th, 2013.