Is MoIT in a position to regret it????????
Here is a note (also published in newspapers) by Respected Mr Muhammad Arif DG (Rtd) PTCL who has also filled contempt of court case in IHC for non implementation of IHC order for the grant of pension to the PTCL pensioners as per GoP , which is also confirmed by HSCP on 12-6-2015 by rejecting the appeal of PTCL & PTET against such decision of IHC in favour of PTCL pensioners .
IN RESPONSE TO MINISTRY OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PUBLIC NOTICE:
Ministry of Information Technology (MoIT) has published a Public Notice on its website dated 18-08-2015 informing all concerned that review petition has been filed but not yet been fixed and Judgments of IHC and PHC have not been suspended. It has issued instructions to Pakistan Telecom Employees Trust (PTET) for implementing the judgments of the honorable courts. The notice further states that Ministry of IT shall continue to play its role in protection of legitimate interests of the beneficiaries/PTET pensioners strictly in accordance with the law. At the same time the public notice mentions two letters attached with the Public Notice. The letter of the ministry dated 11-08-2015 states that Federal Government, PTCL and PTET have filed review petition in SCP for which the hearing has yet to be fixed.
MoIT stance in this case is directly opposite to the letter dated 5th April 2013 addressed to the President PTCL and Chairman PTET conveying the opinion of Ministry of Law with copies to Registrars SCP and all High Courts that the terms and conditions of these employees are protected under the 1996 Telecommunication Reorganization Act. SCP judgment has upheld IHC and PHC judgments that erstwhile T&T employees who were transferred to PTC and then to PTCL without taking their consent or compensation are Government employees and are entitled to receive increase in Pension according to Government rules and notifications. There are 40,000 PTCL pensioners including widows and daughters affected by this decision.
MoIT being representative of Federal Government, is the guarantor under this act. ETISALAT is 26% shareholder as a result of PTCL privatization (which has still to pay US$ 800 million to GOP) controls PTCL Board. PTET Trust has three members each from GoP (MoIT) and PTCL. Secretary MoIT is also Chairman of PTCL board. This contradicts the spirit of the provision of guarantor and infringes the rights of Telecom employees.
The Federal Government's designation of MoIT to fulfill its obligations of safe guarding the interest of employees at the time of Privatization has failed. PTET Pensioners have been struggling for their rights for the last five years and are not sure that even if the MoIT, PTCL and PTET review petitions are rejected they will get their pensions according to GOP rules. Apparently they do not care about justice. Perhaps GOP is afraid that Etisalat and U.A.E government will be annoyed if the justice is done.
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Sent from Rawalpindi Pakistan via iPad
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