KARACHI: The labour wings of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz – Pakistan Steel Insaf Labour Union and the Pakistan Steel Employees League Union – on Saturday joined hands together to file a petition in the Sindh High Court (SHC), seeking regularization of 4,732 employees since the date of appointments.
The petitioners, Syed Naseem Haider Abidi and Abdul Waheed Soomro, represented by Advocate Nadeem Shaikh, submitted that the President of Pakistan had ordered the regularization of the contractual employees of all the national institution in 2008, but the Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) Executive Officer with mala fide intentions did not comply with the President’s Ordinance and deprived the employees of their rights.
They informed the court that after hectic struggle, the PSM chief had regularized the PSM’s contractual and daily wages employees in February 2010 but with mala fide intention, had mentioned the joining dates of the employees in their records from the year 2010 despite the fact that the said employees had joined the department much prior to the year 2010.
The petitioners reminded the court that 63 employees had approached the SHC seeking correction of their records and the SHC had also passed a judgment in their favor. “The PSM administration did not regularize other 4732 employees since their actual joining dates and deprived their legitimate rights besides causing unbearable losses for the employees,” they said.
“Due to the mala fide acts of the authorities concerned, 4,732 employees were deprived of the fundamental rights, subsequently their seniority and back benefits have also been badly affected, and they are facing many losses.”
Making Prime Minister’s Secretary Cabinet Division, Secretary Ministry of Production, Privatization Commission Chairman, Sindh Chief Secretary and the PSM CEO respondents, the petitioners prayed to the court to direct the PSM to regularize all the 4,732 employees since their appointment and joining dates.
The court was further requested to direct PSM to pay all the benefits according to the employees’ actual joining dates. Advocate Shaikh told that the petition was accepted and would come up for the hearing on Feb 01.