Islamabad:
The Federal Minister of Industries and Production Rana Tanveer Hussain has said that the government does not close the Corporation (USC) and that there is no threat to its regular and contractual employees.
“The government only closes non-rentable USC stores created in unnecessary places,” Hussain told Upper House on Friday.
However, the Minister admitted that there is a proposal for consideration for restructuring, privatization or driving of USC’s affairs on a public-private partnership basis “with the consultation of the Allied parties”.
He said the government is providing a grant of RS50 billion to the USC to ease the public to provide cheaper daily used items.
Last year, the government had delivered an amount of RS17 billion to the USC under the Ramazan Nutgun Package. However, he said the amount was not used properly to ease the people.
He said the federal government has now increased the Ramazan package to RS20 billion this year.
Hussain claimed the land is moving in
The right direction “under the dynamic leadership” by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
“Pakistan’s attitude has been strengthened on a global scale, and confidence in international financial institutions and major powers shows that the government’s economic policy is correct,” he said.
A report published in the Express Pakinomist on February 16 revealed that the government had decided to dismiss daily wage staff in the USC as part of his “rights” policy
The move, which will affect an estimated 2,500 to 2,600 workers, was previously approved by the USC board.
According to sources, directives had already been issued to terminate the employees of the respective zonal offices, which signaled the start of the degradation process.
The redundancies are in line with the government’s broader policy of rationalizing the workforce and reducing expenses. The decision comes as part of the ongoing restructuring efforts within the USC, which has been under financial burden.
Meanwhile, the Federal Minister of Law Azam Nazer Tarar parliament said that peaceful protest is a fundamental right to every citizen, but it must take place within the parameters laid down by the law.
The minister responded to the concerns that Senator Sherry Rehman raised with regard to the use of force against protesting against government employees.
Tarar said disturbances were caused by protesters at the Pakistan Secretariat, a crucial institution serving citizens of all regions of the country, including the distant areas of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Punjab.
He said such disturbances hinder the supply of public services. The secretariat, he said, should not be held hostage by these actions.
The Minister also mentioned that the Prime Minister had instructed relevant officials to hold conversations with the protesters to tackle their concerns and find decisions.
“The Minister of Finance is actively involved in negotiations with the protesting employees, and the government is obliged to meet their legitimate demands,” he said.
Tarar noted that the Prime Minister has assured that all employees offered early retirement or placed in the excess pool will have their rights fully protected.
