Legal status of contractual workers still undetermined

ISLAMABAD: A Senate panel failed to reach any conclusion over the legal status of the contractual employees of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Workers’ Welfare Board (WWB) as per the Employees Service Rules of Workers Welfare Fund (WWF) Islamabad.

The Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development (OPHRD) met to discuss a one-point agenda after Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani referred the case during a meeting on Friday.

Members of the committee, including Senator Baz Mohammad Khan, expressed displeasure over the absence of the WWB chairman in the meeting. They also voiced their annoyance over the unavailability of relevant details in the case.

In the ensuing discussion, it was found that WWB, which is a provincial subject, was among the ministries and departments that were devolved to the provinces under the 18th Amendment. However, as it was revealed, the WWB had not devolved completely and was still funded by the federal government. The committee members unanimously agreed to probe the matter.

The committee members, including senators Fateh Muhammad Hasani and Hassan Mandokhel, agreed that if the federal government was releasing funds for the welfare of the poor in the provinces, it should also keep a check on how the funds were being utilised.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 29^th, 2015.