Cabinet approves abolition of 150,000 vacant posts

ISLAMABAD: The cabinet has approved the abolition of around 150,000 posts in the federal government besides allowing amendments to the Army Act to give financial package to employees affected by the regime’s rightsizing exercise.

A senior spokesman for the Cabinet Division confirmed to The News that the rightsizing committee’s proposal, earlier approved by the prime minister, has also been approved by the cabinet.

According to the cabinet decision, 60 percent of vacant posts, which are assessed around 150,000 by the government, will be abolished or declared dying posts. In order to help reduce the pension bill, the cabinet has also decided to outsource all posts concerning general, non-core services including cleaning, plumbing, gardening etc.

In addition to lessen the burden on pension bill, the government expects that this initiative will drastically cut the size of BS 1-16 staff in the federal government. The cabinet has also approved the proposal for the abolition of all contingency posts in the ministries and divisions.

Several amendments to the Civil Servants Act1973 have also been approved by the cabinet to give a financial package to the employees affected by the federal government’s rightsizing.

These amendments to the Act were proposed by the Establishment Division. The changes in the Act will allow the federal government to offer financial package to the civil servants concerned. It would be a balanced package that would take into account both the rights of civil servants and responsibilities of the federal government.

Under these changes in the Act, a civil servant will have the right to representation, within seven days, before a committee constituted by the prime minister. The committee shall decide the representation within 30 days, In case a civil servant does not accept the severance package, his services shall be liable to be terminated.

The committee, to be constituted to entertain the representation of employees aggrieved as a consequence of the rightsizing exercise, preferably having quasi-judicial powers, will be represented by retired judges of superior courts. Law and Justice Division shall propose the committee and its terms and conditions.

It was daily Jang’s chief reporter and senior journalist Rana Ghulan Qadir, who has recently reported about the above matters at the proposal stages.