Copyright brecorder
Salary is paid against work. Financial compensation is tied to performance of duties. In the United States when the business slows down, workers are laid off. Legally, they must be called back before fresh hiring is carried out when normalcy returns. For most positions Job Descriptions (JDs) are prepared against which performance must be evaluated. In the Islamic Republic of Pakistan (IRP) there is a system of ACRs (Annual Confidential Reports) which carry weight for promotion. Adverse evaluations must be shared with the employee. To avoid confrontation most officers, earn average evaluations. Poor performers get away with lack of performance. Eventually they manage to rise to higher positions with all their kinks. IRP faces an institutional collapse. Most employees draw salaries and perks with no delivery or relief to the public. The administrative set-up is a massive public burden. The once functional official communication mechanism has become non-functional. Most complaints remain un-addressed. In the age-old diary system, every letter was given a number for purposes of tracking and response but not anymore. Currently, it is a big black box from which nothing can be retrieved. Perhaps a crash is in the making to open it and understand its contents for an effective response as it happens after an air disaster. For most offices a 40-hour work week is required against which salary calculations are done but not followed. During my days at Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF) the working hours were 8 to 3pm six-days-a-week with half day on Friday. For 5 days-a-week the timings are 9 to 5pm. Throughout my three-year term I arrived a few minutes before 8am while others followed their own routine. Punctuality was a serious problem that had to be addressed. In order to enforce office hours a system of daily morning review meetings was started in which participation was mandatory. By 9am everyone had to be in to sign up. It was a huge improvement over the prevalent situation. Arriving late to work shows total lack of seriousness which is currently prevalent. Prime Minister (PM) Mir Zafarullah Jamali one day decided to arrive for work on time. Firstly, transport was not ready at the PM House. The Military Secretary (MS) had to borrow the car from the security officer to reach the PM Secretariat. On arrival the office was locked by the night security. After the locks were removed, telephones started to ring. Most staff called in sick, some hurriedly rushed to work. An hour later work started. After this incident Jamali Saheb decided to strictly follow the office hours to bring discipline in the highest office of the land. He was an able and upright politician. For most positions a manhour rate is followed. There is an hourly rate which is calculated for calculation of salary. In the US, salaries are paid on bi-weekly basis, for 80 hours of work. Consultants and Attorneys charge an hourly rate. Most states have a minimum hourly salary, which ranges from $ 7.65 to $ 16. Employees are paid against the hours worked. In most World Bank projects hourly rates are calculated and approved for payment. Misuse of perks is another curse of our times. Federal and provincial governments spend billions only on employees’ transport and fuel together with other allowances on top of this expense which needs to be rationalized to reduce the burden on the public exchequer. Colonial legacies continue unabated. GORs (Government Officers Residences) are another menace to be tackled. In most democratic countries rulers and ruled live together. Unfortunately, in IRP we have moved in the opposite direction. Even public access has been restricted in GOR l where the Chief Minister operates with his senior officers. Most of them do not bother to drive to their offices in the civil secretariat to avoid dealing with the public. Neither office hours are kept nor are public visiting hours adhered to. Some officers have multiple offices together with dedicated staff at each site. Most efforts for public relief are blatantly blocked. In 2019, the Right to Information Act (RTI) was passed, which was tasked to seek information for the public. When the Commission decided to apply its mandate, the officers were sacked. The Chief and his Commissioners had to get stay from the Lahore High Court (LHC) to continue with their work. Finally, at the end of their term, they were all sent home for providing relief to the public. The Consumer Protection Courts have been dissolved despite their good work. Now their mandate has been handed over to the already overburdened judicial system, which means delays for any meaningful protection for the exploited consumer. Public representatives and the judges are not far behind when it comes to salaries and perks. It is a closed loop where everyone within the system is served while the public suffers. Executive abuse is rampant in the land of the pure. Instead of strengthening public relief mechanisms they are being reversed like the defanging of Information Commission and Consumer Protection Courts. Only option left for the public is to file legal suits which are never settled in one lifetime. After salaries come pensions, which have become un-manageable. Only in Punjab the pension bill comes to Rs 1.1 trillion (recently, the government decided to introduce the provision of gratuity for fresh employees). Such an un-productive system is bound to collapse sooner or later. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
