ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Information Technology Anusha Rehman Khan on Tuesday informed the Senate that the government was in the process to privatise Telephone Industries of Pakistan (TIP) and rights of the regular employees would be protected as per the law.
While responding to Senator Samina Abid’s notice of job security of teachers and employees of Colony Boards and T&T Harripur, she said efforts were being made to protect the interest of regular employees. The minister said that the TIP was set up in 1953 for technical work and manufacturing and 306 acres of land was acquired for this purpose. “After privatisation of Pakistan Telecommunication and separation of NRTC, the land was divided among these three institutions,” she said.
Some employees managed to get stay order from court as utilities bills like electricity and gas of the employees’ houses were being paid from the federal consolidated fund, Anusha said. She said that a private housing scheme was developed and its utilities bills were being paid from the national exchequer, which is totally illegal, for which a case had been sent to National Accountability Bureau (NAB) three weeks ago.
She said that negotiations were also underway with PTCL and NRTC to run the schools of the locality. Earlier, Senator Samina apprised the House that the TIP employees were not getting their salaries and were also being threatened of being fired. She also demanded that the interests of employees should be protected before privatising TIP.
