THE Federal Cabinet, which met in Islamabad on Tuesday with Prime Minister Imran Khan in the chair, discussed issues related to anomalies in the governmental system and took decisions on some of them with a view to ultimately streamlining the system. The Prime Minister directed for uniform pay scales of the government employees to avoid discrimination and disparity and assigned the Adviser on Finance to hold talks with striking employees and also work with central and provincial governments to remove this disparity and both should send proposals to cabinet so that sense of deprivation among employees is removed. The meeting approved privatization of 46 entities, abolition of four departments and hand over of four others to the provincial governments under its policy of structural reforms and considered prospects for mid and long-term mechanisms for determination of energy prices.
The issue of uniform pay scales and substantial increase in salaries of the government employees assumes urgency in view of the pen-down strike by lower grade employees (from one to five) of the federal government, who are demanding pay raise in commensurate with the increase given to some selected departments and institutions. The demand of the employees is justified in view of the discriminatory policies of the successive governments in this regard, which are causing heart burning and frustration among government servants with serious implications for the overall performance and output of the governmental machinery. It is pertinent to mention that the incumbent government has been blaming the past governments for decisions that have caused distortions in the system but surprisingly it also granted exclusive increase in the salaries of NAB, FIA and Naya Pakistan Housing employees by almost 150 to 200 per cent and, therefore, there was hardly any justification not to give sympathetic consideration to the demand of the striking employees.
As always, the Finance Ministry is opposing the demand on the plea of financial constraints of the Government which are understandable but there should not be two parallel salary structures. The logic that employees of some departments have more work than others is also an eye-wash as all employees join a particular department or organization through a comprehensive process knowing fully well what they would be getting there in terms of salary, perks and privileges. As elsewhere in the world, those working over and above their timings should get overtime and this might be handsome but there is absolutely no justification to double salaries of employees of some departments and denying other the same benefit. Similarly, why the Government is adamant not to grant 20% Secretariat Allowance to all employees despite clear instructions of the highest court of the land? The Prime Minister has done well by issuing directions for uniform pay scales and hopefully the process would lead to removal of distortions, end of utter discrimination and equal treatment of all employees of the government. The Government has enough time to discuss the issue with the provinces and other stakeholders and come out with the uniform pay scales in the coming budget. The process of restructuring of ministries, divisions and departments is also taking too much time and therefore there is dire need to expedite proposals about abolition, merger, right-sizing and streamlining of the working of the Government with the overall objective of increasing efficiency and productivity, taking care of overlapping of functions and cost cutting.
The issue of fixation of prices of oil products has also been of great interest to the people as it has direct bearing on their household budget. In theory, there is Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) which should determine the prices independently of any interference but practically its recommendations are hardly honoured and the government in power have been reviewing upwardly or providing relief to the people in this regard on the basis of their own financial conditions and not on the much-touted linkage with the oil prices in the international market. The matter should also be sorted out once for all and a truly transparent mechanism and formula should be evolved that safeguards interests of the sector as well as the consumers. The decision to deliberate upon the performance of Competition Commission of Pakistan might lead to its greater activism in safeguarding interests of consumers but the cabinet should also mull over the issue of non-implementation of its recommendations and findings.
