87 Iesco officers terminated without citing reason

Iesco says termination not illegal; sacked officers were recruited on contract

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad Electric Supply Company (Iesco) has terminated the services 87 of its officers in BPS 17-18 without assigning any reason or stating the grounds. This has highly perturbed the officers who are now running from pillar to post for their reinstatement.

While approaching The News here on Thursday, the targeted officers termed their sacking illegal and held the CEO of Iesco responsible for that.

The affected officers including Engr Adeel Asghar (SDO), Engr Haider Subtain, Engr Adil Khalil,Engr, Engr Hanif Jang, Engr Saad Hassan, Engr Ali Ahmed, Engr Jamal Shah, Zahid Hussain Shah, Kaleem Ullah, AM (Finance), Zeeshan Ahmed, DM Telecommunication, Umar Iqbal etc alleged that their services have been terminated by Iesco DG on the directives of CEO Iesco on August 09, 2016.

According to them, the termination letters did not cite any reason such as poor performance, breaking of company rules, illegal use of company’s financial resources as the basis of termination of our services. However, the letter was titled: “Implementation of Instruction of Establishment Division (ED) of Government of Pakistan letter no.4/1/84-RI(A)dated 20.11, 1986 which states that in case the contract period of an employee if not extended, he should consider himself ipso facto relieved.

The relieved officers said that the ED’s letter of 1986 does not apply to them. They said, “This is so because the ED order of 1986 was abrogated and replaced with 2005 ‘Amendment in Recruitment Policy Order No D/1(Rules) 1462/3/42239-16 dated 12-11-2005’ promulgated by Directorate of Rules of Ministry of Water and Power’ that reads: ‘In future, recruitment in BPS-17 and above will be made on one year contract and after satisfactory completion of one year, their services may be regularised.’ We were hired in pursuance of 2005 policy that can be legally invoked against us and not the 1986 order which is obsolete and irrelevant,” they claimed.

Moreover, these officers informed that vacancy of various posts of BPS-16 and 17 were advertised in the leading national newspapers after approval from Ministry of Water & Power and Establishment Division. It was advertised that after one year period of contract the services of officers would be regularised.

Ironically the performance of these officers was not evaluated. They successfully completed trainings on which the company spent millions of rupees and SERs were brushed aside and are now they have been relieved with out any reason and justification.

They claimed that there is shortage of 45 per cent officers in the Iesco. Taking Islamabadand Rawalpindi circles aside, more than 95 per cent of the sub divisions are run by non technical and non-designated staff which is unlawful and gross violation of the company and Wapda rules.

These officers have challenged their termination in Islamabad High Court. They have appealed to the Prime Minister, Mian Nawaz Sharif, Chief Justice of Pakistan, opposition leader, and human right organizations to take notice of this economic murder of 87 officers and their families.

When The News tried several times to seek the comments of CEO, Dr. Rana Abdul Jabbar, and General Manager Wajid Ali Kazmi on their cell numbers, none of these two high-ups of Iesco attended the calls.

However, Director General (HR), Iesco, Saqlain Zahoor when approached did not agree with the claims of the affected officers that they were terminated illegally. He said that these officers were appointed on contract basis after posts were advertised in press, and they could be relieved after this period. The 87 officers were not terminated but stood relieved automatically of their services as specified in their appointment letters, Saqlain Zahoor clarified.