PCB’s downsizing resumes with firing of junior employees

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has resumed the process of downsizing in the name of retrenchment and this time round it is time for the junior employees to pave the way for what the PCB big-shots call qualified personnel or right person for the right job.

It has been learnt that fresh lists of the yes-men are being prepared to keep while the rest would be have to say adieu to the PCB.In a unique logic given by the PCB appointments are being made on big salaries and employees with less salaries are being sacked.

Only last year in the name of domestic restructuring hundreds of thousands cricketers, officials, trainers and coaches were made unemployed with the closure of departmental teams and now with the focus turned towards high performance centre, direct control of the regional teams through regional selection committees, grass-root and club cricket is being damaged.

Now at the time of global pandemic when the governments the world over have released funds for its nations and have directed corporate sectors and businesses to not to sack its workers and give them their salaries, the PCB has fired five junior employees and their letters of dismissal have been issued from June 1.

These include four office boys and a helper. Rehman Hassan and Mohammad Qaiser have been working as office boys in the PCB since 2007. Dilawar Ali has been working in PCB since 2016, Babar Ali and Sohail Maqsood from 2017.

The termination letters of the employees have been issued by PCB Senior General Manager HR and Administration Officer Lt Colonel (retd) Ashfaq Ahmed. Employees were fired after a change in rules and regulations. Employees will fulfill their responsibilities until June 30.

The terminated employees have been directed to contact the HR department for clearance of dues and other matters. More lay-offs are expected in the coming days, which has caused a wave of concern among the younger employees of the PCB.

Only recently, PCB did not extend the contracts of Mudassar Nazar, Haroon Rashid, Mushtaq Ahmed (SGM Operations - NCA) and Agha Zahid. While the PCB thanked and wished them well, it also welcomed Nadeem Khan, Saqlain Mushtaq, Grant Bradburn and Asser Malik in its corridors with hefty salaries.