PTCL employees to continue strike against new pay scale KARACHI: Communications giant Pakistan Telecommunication Co Ltd, since its privatisation, has remained in the grip of controversies and the latest one is the Unified Pay Scale introduced by the company. PTCL employees had rejected the new pay scale, terming it a ‘fraud’ and an attempt to further deprive the employees of their basic rights, said Senior Vice President PTCL Employees Union Islamabad Waseem Minhas. “We will continue our struggle against PTCL authorities until our demands are accepted,” he said, adding the countrywide strike would continue till July 21. “After that we will further tighten our strategy causing breakdown of the communications network and in this move all phone lines in the country will be cut.” He said “we have picketed at all PTCL exchanges throughout the country and this will continue. Even the enquiry number ‘1217’ is closed and nobody is available there.” He demanded that action should be taken against those involved in the baton-charge and use of teargas against PTCL employees, who were protesting outside the company’s headquarters in Islamabad. “PTCL authorities do not seem serious to solve the issue.” However, he said Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani had constituted a committee to look into the matter and submit a report in two days. In this regard, “we are meeting with the committee comprising Federal Finance Minister Naveed Qamar, Federal Information Technology and Telecom Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira, Federal Labour Minister Khursheed Shah and Water and Power Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf. “If the outcome is positive there will be no more strike but if our demands are not accepted the strike along with system breakdown will continue,” he added. PTCL employees have been calling for an increase in salary, regularisation of services of all contract employees and reinstatement of dismissed employees. Controversial Clause 6 in the Unified Pay Scale letter given to the employees has sparked agitation. Pakistan Telecom Employees Union CBA (Collective Bargaining Agent) President Ziauddin said the PTCL since its privatisation had resorted to various tactics to exploit the employees and mentioned that in the recent past the company came up with the idea of Voluntary Separation Scheme. “In VSS calculation worksheets of the employees, harsh words like ‘redundant and not needed, surplus not needed’ and other similar things were used which indicated if we do not opt for VSS we will be sacked,” he said. Similarly, he said, the Unified Pay Scale was a fraudulent scheme through which employees would be cheated like in the case of VSS. According to the new pay scale, pension of employees had been frozen till June 2008. Clause 6 in the pay scale letter states “calculation method of pension shall remain the same. At the time of retirement, pension emoluments as on 30th June 2008 with an annual compound increase of 8 per cent for the number of years of service from 1st July, 2008 till the date of retirement shall be used for calculation of pension (communications and monthly pension).” He said the PTCL had not been completely privatised as only 26 per cent shares had been sold along with management control and they had no right to change rules and regulations. However, the PTCL management’s stance is different from the workers, which said the company did not want confrontation with its employees and considered them an asset for its growth. “Negotiations between the management and the union will hopefully provide a better solution to end the strike and establish a fair and just platform for building good relationship,” said PTCL spokesman Ali Qadir Gilani. “How can we be against our own workers and think of competing in the market,” asked Gilani and said the aim of PTCL management was to convince the union to end the uncalled for strike and resume work in the interest of the company and its customers. “The UPS scheme is worker-friendly and is not being properly understood by the union,” he said. “If the strike continues, major losers will be PTCL customers and ultimately the workers.” The Unified Pay Scale is being opposed because the workers did not understand proper benefits of the scheme, he said, adding roadshows would be organised to apprise the workers of the benefits of the scheme. The new pay scale, according to Gilani, envisages a better remuneration package for the employees, who have nothing to lose. The pay scale provided for a raise in salaries of workers while their service rights were protected according to PTCL Service Rules and Telecom Act 1996, said Gilani. He said according to his information no meeting of PTCL union with the PM was expected as the issue was being resolved between the workers and management. End.