SC Orders PSQCA To Reinstate 25 Employees

In compliance with the orders of the Supreme Court, the PSQCA decided to reinstate 25 of its employees from BPS-1 to 19 out of total 35 employees who were terminated from services in 2019.

SC Orders PSQCA To Reinstate 25 Employees

In compliance with the orders of the Supreme Court (SC), the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) on Monday decided to reinstate 25 of its employees from BPS-1 to 19 out of total 35 employees who were terminated from services in 2019.

PSQCA director Ejaz Panwar told business recorder The decision has been taken in the 24th meeting of the Board of Directors (BoD) of PSQCA held at PSQCA Complex under the chairmanship of Federal Minister for Science and Technology (MoST) Agha Hassan Baloch.

He said that this decision has been taken in compliance with the order of the Supreme Court.

Twenty-five of the total 35 employees from BPS 1 to 19 working at the main PSQCA complex in Gulistan-e-Jauhar Karachi were sacked in 2019, and later they approached the court. SC then orders PSQCA to reinstate 25 of its employees from BPS-1 to 19 out of total 35 employees.

The authority had cited completion and closure of the Rs 1.20 billion project ‘Procurement of laboratory equipment/provision of furniture and fixture for PSQCA laboratory complex’ as the reason for mass sacking of these employees.

The project started back in 2010 and was funded by the federal government. As of July 2018, the funding was stopped and the PSQCA had to manage the laboratory’s affairs, including staff salaries, from its own resources.

On November 30, 2018, PSQCA issued a circular informing the concerned employees that the said project would be completed and closed on December 31, 2018 and there would be no funds for the same, and finally the authority terminated them from the services.

The PSQCA official said that some very important decisions have been taken in the BOD meeting. It has been decided to provide additional facilities to the existing employees of PSQCA such as provision of timescale, housing, hiring as per the policy of the federal government, which is a long standing demand of the PSQCA employees across the country.

The establishment of a new directorate in Balochistan has also been approved and this will create new employment opportunities in Balochistan, especially in the border areas of Balochistan, Khuzdar Chaman, Taftan Hub and Turbat.

PSQCA offices will be set up at the check posts of the borders of the country, which will also improve the quality of goods and increase the income of the company and benefit the consumers and discourage smuggling of goods.

These check posts will help in stopping substandard goods from entering the country. A new directorate has been set up in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and approval has been given to set up a separate directorate in South Punjab. He said that in order to improve the quality of essential commodities, Federal Minister Agha Hasan Baloch has issued instructions in today’s meeting, so that good and quality goods can be made available to the common citizens.

Approval was given to open new offices in Faisalabad and ‘Sports City’ Sialkot, which would enhance the quality of the products produced there and also benefit the customers.

On this occasion, Agha Hasan said that there will be no compromise on the quality of goods in the country.

Originally published at Business Recorder