ISLAMABAD, Aug 18: Pakistan Telecommunications Company (PTCL) would regularize services of its over 7,000 daily-wage workers in two phases who have been working with the company since 1992.

"The regularization plan aims at providing job security to the employees that will help enhance their efficiency as well as the company's operational capability", PTCL president and chief executive officer (CEO) Junaid Iqbal Khan said here on Wednesday.

Speaking at a press conference at the PTCL headquarters, Mr Khan said out of 7,193 daily-wage employees, 4,400 would be regularized in the first phase which will be completed within four to five months and the remaining will be regularized subsequently in the second phase.

The basic criteria for the confirmation of daily-wage workers' services would be merit and assured that no new appointments would be made in the company, he added.

After getting regularized, these workers will be entitled for gratuity, leave, house rent and medical facilities like confirmed employees, he said. "With this decision, I hope their motivational level will be high and the company will be delivering better services".

In response to a question, he said, the regularization of daily-wage employees would cost the company an additional budget of Rs189 million every year. Responding to another question, he said the PTCL had always endeavoured to offer maximum facilities to its customers through its broad spectrum of services.

"We are working to expand the network of PTCL by providing two million new connections in near future". Answering a question about call charges, he said, PTCL had reduced fixed line rent by 33 per cent and domestic and international call charges had also been decreased substantially.

When his attention was drawn to the increasing competition in the telecom sector, he said, the PTCL was closely watching the new packages offered by cell phone companies, and doing every thing to stay in the competition.