January 28, 2008	Monday	Muharram 18, 1429

LARKANA, Jan 27: A summery for the regularisation of services of 470 employees recruited on contract between 1998 and 2002 in the Population Welfare department, submitted to the caretaker Sindh chief minister has been lying with out action since November

2007.

All Pakistan Clerks Association (APCA) president Peeral Dayo of the Population Welfare department told Dawn that the federal government had issued clear instructions for the regularisation of the 470 ad hoc employees in 2006.

Family planning counsellors, laboratory technicians, family welfare workers, theatre technicians, family welfare assistants (male, female), lower division clerks, drivers, peons, night watchmen, helpers, sweepers were given temporary appointments in the department, he said.

The efforts to regularise these workers ran into snags because of differences between former Sindh chief minister Dr Arbab Rahim and the then minister Syed Pappoo Shah surfaced and the matter was thrown into cold storage, he said.

On Nov 30, Sindh Population Welfare department secretary Alamuddain Bullo forwarded a summery for the regularisation of these employees from basic pay saclae-1 to BPS-11 to the caretaker Sindh chief minister.

He (secretary) stated in the summery that this important issue has been lying without action with the result that employees from BPS-1 to BPS-11 appointed on contract prior to June 30, 2002 (before the de-federalisation of the Population Welfare department) are feeling uncertainty about their career which causes unrest amongst them.

He said the ministry of Population Welfare Islamabad is constantly pursuing the matter with the Population Welfare department Sindh. He also mentioned the details of the appointments made in different cadres.

The secretary in the summery had requested the Sindh chief minister for passing orders on the summery.

Mr Peeral regretted that rulers were so busy that they could not spare time to sign a summery and if it was further delayed the workers of the department would broaden the spectrum of their protest.

He convened a meeting of office-bearers of APCA of Sindh on Jan 28 in Karachi in this connection.