The Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) regular employees will go on hunger strike today (Monday) after the company management refuses to sack officials, whose appointments were made in violation of rules and regulations, Business Recorder has learnt reliably.
The OGDCL regular employees have decided to go on strike as controversy has intensified after illegal appointment of Mehurinsa as Manager Law and some employees refuse to work under General Manger Audit Salman Amin, whose appointment was made against rules and regulations. Mehurinsa''s name is also included in the list of contractual employees whose appointments were illegal.
Supreme Court had also taken the notice of appointment on contract b basis in different public sector departments and organisations but OGDCL management is still reluctant to take any action against contractual appointments, which has been declared illegal by the SC.
At present, contractual employees are working on key posts of Executive Directors (EDs), General Mangers (GMs) and some others important posts.
"OGDCL regular employees have decided that no contractual employees will be allowed to enter the OGDCL head office," sources said, adding that protest is going on for the last few days against General Manager (GM) Audit Salman Amin, whose appointment is illegal and he has hardly two years experience in relevant field against required experience of 20 years.
Regular employees of OGDCL are also protesting against Executive Director (ED) Arif Ibrahim, who has been deputed in OGDCL from Petroleum Ministry when Syed Naveed Qamar was the Petroleum Minister.
OGDCL regular employees are of the view that current Managing Director (MD) Naeem Malik should have fired the contractual employees whose appointments were illegal after National Assembly Standing Committee on Petroleum and Natural Resources had taken the notice. "But ED HR and MD are protecting these employees rather than sacking these contractual officials," one of the office-bearer of OGDCL association said.
Ministry of Petroleum had also formed a committee led by a Joint Secretary to linger on the action against illegal appointments. The inquiry has been initiated despite the fact that OGDCL management had accepted itself in a report that illegal appointments had been made on key posts.
According to a report prepared by the company, OGDC made irregular appointments from 2006 to 2010 on 25 key posts at attractive packages in violation of rules and regulations. Out of the total 25 officials, around 12 officials are still working and no directives of NA body on Petroleum had been abide by the current management. Sources maintained that commercial audit had confirmed irregular appointments in OGDCL but no action had been taken so far.
It is also surprising that OGDCL management has also tabled proposals before Human Resource Committee (HRC) of OGDCL Board of Directors to raise salary package of two officials to Rs0.8 million per month each whose appointments were illegal. These two officials were Colonel Shafqat Hussain (retd) and Salman Amin GM Audit.
Colonel Shafqat Hussain (retd) was appointed as GM, Communication in September 2008. In response to directives of NA Body on Petroleum, not a single official has been sacked from the OGDCL, sources said adding the commercial audit has also termed appointments of these officials illegal. Only one official Sarfaraz Uddin Siddiqui appointed as GM, Oil and Gas Training Institute (OGTI), at Rs350,000 per month salary had left company after reaching at the age of 60.
According to the report, OGDC management admitted that the appointments were made without relevant experience and qualifications. Aftab Ahmad was appointed in OGDC as Executive Director (ED), Strategy Business Planning (SBP), in 2006 without relevant experience, at a financially attractive package of Rs7,80,087 per month and is still holding the office. Masood Nabi appointed as Executive Director, Joint Venture (JV), in 2009 at Rs8,00,000 per month and another official, Asif Sindhu, appointed in 2009 as ED, Finance, at Rs8,00,000 per month salary, in violation of rules, are still working in OGDCL.
Tariq Mahmood, who is a simple diploma holder, was appointed as Manager, Social Welfare Implementation in 2008, and BoD has also approved his termination. But he is being retained in company.
Other officials whose appointments were made against rules and regulations and are still holding offices include: Qamar Zaman GM Joint Venture, Lieutenant Colonel Javaid Iqbal (Retd) Assistant Manager, Security, Talal Haider Chief Human Resource (HR) officer, Babar Iftikhar Deputy Chief Engineer Health Safety and Mobeen Aftktar deputy chief corporate legal.