Job security: Provincial health project employees reinstated by high court

PHC bench orders payment of pending salaries, provision of facilities since 2011.

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Friday reinstated 23 employees of the provincial maternal newborn and child health project with provision of all facilities and pending salaries from the date of removal from services.

The counsels of petitioner Irfan Jamal and others, Abdul Latif Afridi, Ijaz Anwer and Muhammad Taif Khan informed a division bench of Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth and Justice Muhammad Daud Khan that the petitioners were appointed as social mobilisers in 2009.



They said senior officials of the project suspended these employees from their posts without any prior notice or cause in 2011.

The only reason given was shortage of funds to pay monthly salaries.

The petitioners’ counsels said the employees were removed citing shortage of funds, while high-ranking officials are still employed with the project and will continue to receive perks and privileges till its completion in 2015.

They argued laying off some employees without prior notice and allowing senior officials to continue working is illegal and unconstitutional.

Justice Waqar remarked that no employee, whether regular or contractual, can be removed from service without a reason in light of a recent Supreme Court judgment.

He said it is astonishing that employees getting lucrative salaries continue to work while those at the lower level have no job.

After hearing arguments from both sides, the court ordered to reinstate the employees with provision of all allowances and pending salaries from the day they were removed from service and directed that they will continue their services till the completion of the project.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 12^th, 2014.