LAHORE: Officers of the Provincial Management Service (PMS) continue to feel ignored and suppressed over what they claim poor career progression and low pay packages.
Having reminded the government of its obligations of good governance and improved service delivery from time to time, the PMS Officers’ Association Punjab once again made a representation to Chief Secretary retired Capt Zahid Saeed on “Demotivating factors for the PMS officers and proposals for improvement”. It was given to the chief secretary on Feb 6.
Ironically, three days after the submission, the association’s newly elected office-bearers had to face an embarrassing situation when they went to pay a courtesy call on the chief secretary but were declined audience. “We waited for more than two hours but the chief secretary showed complete disregard,” the association said.
Failure to meet CS adds to their frustration
Stating that the PMS officers are trained and efficient human resource serving various departments and field formations across the province, the association in its representation complains that they are not being taken on board in decisions affecting their career progression.
“The S&GAD’s sections concerned are not even willing to share basic data with the PMS Officers Association that concern their lives and careers,” the association laments. Such an information, they say, should be readily available for everyone as envisaged in the Right to Information Act.
The association’s letter sent by its secretary general, Naveed Shahzad Mirza, regrets that judicial cadres, district attorneys, treasury service, private secretaries, superintendents and clerical cadres have been upgraded but the PMS cadre is being given a cold shoulder.
“Pay packages of most service groups have been enhanced but the PMS cadre is not offered better package,” it says.
Similarly, it bemoans that promotion is not available against posts reserved for deputation though the officers from various federal service groups are being posted as their seniors, against provincial posts, in violation of rules.
The association says the already meager promotion prospects for the PMS officers are being jeopardised when regular promotion boards are not convened to fill the available slots. At present, it says, 50 posts in Punjab have been vacant for long but the promotion boards are not being convened. Seven posts of BS-21, five of BS-20, 10 of BS-19 and 28 posts of BS-18 are vacant in the province, the association claims.
“The PMS officers have to wait for 12 to 15 years for their first career progression from BS-17 to 18, which is proving to be a major demotivating factor for the younger lot,” it says.
It merits mention that the Punjab government lacks an organised promotion board for promotion to BS-21 posts as the chief secretary for the past two years has not written the officers’ ACRs.
In order to bring about improvement in the present state of affairs and enhance the PMS officers’ motivation level, the association has suggested that the posts held by the PMS officers from BS-17 to 20 be upgraded. The incumbents in BS-17, who have more than five years of service to their credit, be given BS-18 (by adding one tier on the analogy of federal government) w.e.f. the date they had completed five years service.
Pointing out a severe shortage of officers in administrative departments as well as in the district and divisional field formations, the association explains that stopgap arrangements are being made through postings made on the basis of additional charge, current charge and higher postings in own pay scales. In various districts, it claims, officers are holding additional charge of more than one post.
In the Anti-Corruption Establishment alone, about 90pc posts of Deputy Director (Investigation) (BS-18) have been vacant for long.
The association has requested that the S&GAD may be asked to work out the exact number of officers on deputation, training or leave (DTL), in various pay scales, and share the information with the PMS Officers’ Association to chalk out a way forward in this regard.
The association has itself calculated that 12 officers in BS-20, 33 in BS-19 and 92 in BS-18 are on DTL.
Referring to the Promotion Policy of 2010, the association states that the promotion of civil servants are being deferred on the basis of any inquiry. It suggested that the government should approve amendment to the promotion policy as formally requested by the ACE director general in his note for the chief secretary in September last year.
Besides demanding executive allowance at 1.5 times of basic pay for all PAS/PCS/PMS officers on the lines of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, the association has also expressed its concern that they are not being offered membership of the Punjab Civil Officers Mess (PCOM) despite being the major cadre of the civil service in the province. It has requested that all PMS officers may be offered membership of the PCOM.
The association office-bearers claim that they had first requested a meeting with the chief secretary last month and again demanded it through Feb 6 letter but they were not entertained. On Feb 9, they went to meet the chief secretary but again had to face disappointment.
The chief secretary did not respond to a message this reporter sent to seek his viewpoint over the complaints of the PMS officers.
Published in Dawn, February 11th, 2018