Daily Times

Despite the passage of 12 years, Rescue 1122 has failed to form the service structure of its employees.

Its contractual employees are concerned about their future.

According to available data, more than 3,000 rescue employees are working in Rawalpindi, while about 80 percent of them are working on contract basis. The contract employees have expressed serious concerns about their future.

According to the contract’s rules and regulations, contractual employees are not eligible for availing pension benefits after retirement. In case any higher post is vacant in the department and a contractual employee qualifies for the said post, he has to resign and sign a new contract. Resultantly, he will start service from the scratch.

A senior official of Rescue 1122 wishing anonymity said that Rescue 1122 was established in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa a few years ago with a proper service structure for its employees, but unfortunately despite the passage of more than a decade, the Punjab government has failed to do the same.

The Fire & Safety Association also endorsed the demand of Rescue 1122 employees.

Rescue 1122 General Secretary Anwar Ghauri said hiring employees on contract basis without implementing service rules in such departments is high-level of injustice. He added that all such departments are hiring contractual employees without implementing service rules.

A contractual employee of Rescue 1122 Rawalpindi requesting not to be named said that he is serving at 1122 since the last five years, however, the department has failed to regularise our services until to date. He further maintained that in case of expiry of the contract, he would become ineligible to apply for a job in another government department as he is already over-aged.

When contacted, district officer Dr Abdur Rahman said the draft of service structure is ready and hopefully it will be approved in the next emergency meeting, adding that the director general has also ensured the employees in a ceremony held in Rawalpindi that service structure will be approved soon.

Sources said that according to the law, Punjab chief minister will be the chairman of the Emergency Council meeting, while the chief secretary, finance secretary, inspector general of police and others are the member of the council.

Due to the lack of interest of the previous provincial government, only three meetings of the emergency council were held since 2006.

Published in Daily Times, December 27^th 2018.