PTI government to axe 80,000 vacant posts

Posts lying vacant in federal ministries and departments

According to The News report, the federal government has decided to abolish 80,000 jobs laying vacant for more than a year. These posts laying vacant in federal departments and ministries/divisions.  Finance division has taken principled decision on the matter and  now seeking approval of the federal cabinet to execute it under Rules of Business 1973.

It also referred this matter to Establishment Division for proceeding further on this subject. The salary and pension bill of the federal government has ballooned in recent years and the government is finding ways to slash the salary/pension bill, which has come close to Rs1 trillion rupees for the current fiscal year.

According to Official Memorandum issued by Ministry of Finance on Wednesday stating that during the 34th meeting of the Cabinet Implementation Committee for the re-organisation of federal government held in May and decision taken on June 4, 2020 whereby it was decided that “the Committee directed the Finance Division to abolish all posts that have remained vacant for more than one year in BPS-1 to BPS-16 in all ministries/divisions and executive departments.”

The Office Memorandum further stated that the number of employees in the federal government increased consistently during the last decade and due to this the annual salary bill has increased by three folds and pension bill is becoming unmanageable. Further, the structure of the federal government is lopsided with 95 percent employees in BS-1 to 16 consuming 85 percent of the total salary bill.

The matter has been examined by the Finance Division which is of the opinion that the decision of abolition of vacant posts in BS-1 to 16 is new policy recommendations in terms of Rule 16 (j) of Rules of Business 1973, the recommendation of Implementation Committee are required to be submitted to the Federal Cabinet for approval after seeking permission of the prime minister.

The government might come under criticism for axing the jobs as it came to power on the promise of providing jobs. It is a bad news for all those who were hoping to get government jobs. This decision seems part of the austerity and cuts policy of the PTI government under the neoliberal economic agenda.
PTI leaders and government ministers now saying that they never meant to provide government jobs. The employment generation will be done through private sector. But private sector is not in a position to provide millions of jobs. The private sector already axing jobs as the result of economic crisis. 
                                                                     Business correspondent