KARACHI: Pakistan Steel Mill (PSM) has sacked 4,544 employees, including the Divisional and Assistant Managers after the period of the end of their service period, the PSM spokesperson confirmed on Friday (today).
The spokesperson also confirmed that employees belonging to category 2,3, and 4 pay groups have been dismissed from their jobs.
The spokesperson also notified that dismissal letters have been sent to sacked employees by post. However, he clarified that corporate secretaries of departments have been fired neither have the staff working in schools and colleges been let go.
Earlier, the Sindh High Court (SHC) had refused to hear a petition filed by the Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) employees relating to their sacking after the government decided to privatize the state entity on June 23.
During a hearing, Justice Umar Sial had backed the attorney general’s statement that the SHC could not hear the case as it is sub judice in the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
To this, the PSM employees’ lawyer said the case in the apex court is related to the promotion of employees, not the privatization issue.
The SHC justice cautioned the lawyer and his clients that it was not their union but a court session and if they do not maintain the decorum, they will be sent to jail.
“What you people have done to the steel mills, everyone knows about it,” said Justice Sial in his remarks. After hearing this, he expelled the PSM employees from the courtroom.
Meanwhile, PSM Stakeholders Group Covener Mamriz Khan bewailed that the state has become indifferent to the employees of one of the largest public sectors of Pakistan.
“There are reports that the department head was called today so that employees can be dismissed,” he said, lamenting that employees are forced to protest during the on-going coronavirus pandemic.
Earlier, Minister for Industries and Production Hammad Azhar said that the government had decided to privatize the PSM as it had become a burden on the national exchequer.
He said that PSM employees had not been working for the last many years and now they would get a financial package of around Rs2.3 million per employee as compensation. Besides, he said, employees could also contribute to productivity in the private sector.
The minister said the previous governments failed to revive or privatize Pakistan Steel Mills and the debt stay remains at Rs230 billion. He had clarified that only the core operations of the steel mills will be privatized.
