GILGIT, May 3: The Northern Areas Transport Corporation (Natco) has decided to lay off at least 200 employees in grades from 1 to 16 within weeks, according to the employees whose names have been put on the retrenchment list.

The Natco is the largest public-owned transport corporation of Northern Areas but due to financial losses, the corporation has resorted to sacking its regular and temporary employees in various phases since 2000.

In February, it sacked 150 employees immediately after the closure of China-Pakistan border in October 2001 and a large number of employees have been forced to proceed on leave for an unspecified period, sources told said.

The sources added that the Natco got the financial setbacks when the KKH remained blocked for three weeks in Chilas and Kohistan districts in October 2001, when the armed tribesmen took hold of the KKH.

The Natco workers’ trade union has criticized the decision of the management and alleged that it had been issuing dismissal orders to the employees without prior notices.

They argued that they were being victimized in the name of rightsizing notwithstanding the fact that they were getting lower wages whereas the company managers had been enjoying enormous perks and privileges but no manager had been laid off under the rightsizing policy.

The managing director of Natco when contacted said that there were 200 surplus employees in the corporation and the management had no option but to sack the surplus staff.