Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) has condemned the hoax propaganda of additional retrenchment in a section of media launched by self-proclaimed leaders of the defunct labour union, the aim of whom is to disrupt working atmosphere in the utility. While referring to a baseless propaganda being churned by the former union that KESC has or will "retrench" another 2,500 employees - is nothing but hearsay and false.
KESC expressed surprise over the fact that the union propagandists had conveniently been omitting several truths, including mention of the fact that over 78 per cent of their fellow 4,500 non-core employees had willingly accepted the Voluntary Separation Scheme, by the closure date of 10th February.
Despite being a loss making entity, KESC purely as a humanitarian gesture had allocated Rs 6 billion for this separation scheme for the non-core employees. An amount of Rs 4.5 billion had already been disbursed among these 3,500 beneficiaries while remaining Rs 1.5 billion were likely to be paid off to the left over employees soon.
Post the closure date of 10th February, around 250 employees, primarily gardeners, filing clerks and bill distributors, whose positions had either already been outsourced or abolished since long and they were sitting idle in the company, were issued separation letters which also confirmed them the provision of their package, which is approximately equivalent to their five years salary at the minimum. Despite financial hardships being faced by the utility, this handsome package has been given to ensure that the parting non-core workers can establish themselves financially and move on, towards a secure future. KESC reiterated that there was no move or it has no plans to retrench any other category of employees other than the previously defined non-core workers.-PR