LAHORE: The Punjab Prisons employees, who had been fighting for their rights for nearly a decade, are in great distress after the Standing Committee of Cabinet on Finance and Development (SCCFD) approved the "prisons security allowance @ one month initial basic pay (2017)" instead of approving the same @ one month running basic pay.
Senior jail officers, who desired secrecy, said that at present the most daunting challenge for the Punjab Prisons is how to retain the existing force as thousands of personnel had left their jobs in the recent past.
To tackle the situation arising, Punjab Inspector General for Prison Mirza Shahid Saleem Baig along with other senior officers had worked out a strategy and actively held meetings with the authorities concerned including the CM.
"We were excited and thought our years-long struggle would bear fruits when Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar visited the Kot Lakhpat Jail last month and announced a Rs5.5 billion prison relief package, including security allowance @ one month running basic pay," said a senior jail officer. He said the move was aimed at lifting the morale of the prisons employees and making their salaries at par with the Punjab police officials.
"However, the Finance Department, which is prejudice towards the Punjab Prison, played its part and approved initial basic pay (2017) instead of running basic pay despite opposition from other stakeholders in the committee's meeting held recently," he deplored. "We fought for our rights for years but the result is still "zero" due to the apathy and prejudice of the finance department," alleged another senior officer.
According to the minutes of the meeting, a copy of which is available with Business Recorder, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Zafar Nasrullah Khan highlighted that criminal justice system mainly consists of three parts: (i) police (law enforcement); (ii) courts (adjudication/trial); (iii) prisons (custody, control, care, corrections and cure).
The role of all these organs of the criminal justice system was co-related and to ensure proper functioning of the system all the organs should be performing at their best. Judiciary and Police were being provided with better pay packages than the prisons department, the ACS said.
Nasrullah said the Punjab prisons is the only department where employees work in two shifts for about 12 - 14 hours on daily basis. "Even during the 8-hourly break, they are bound to be present in the jail premises by the virtue of Pakistan Prison Rules, 1978, to cater to emergencies and night-time/day-time random assignments. They could not avail weekends, gazetted and even Eid holidays," he pointed out.
The ACS added that the present salary structure of the employees was the lowest as compared with other organs dealing with the criminal justice system. During the last five years, the total number of employees who left the prison department was about 3000 out of which 2,438 had left due to lower pay package and unfavourable working conditions, highlighted.
He said that 20 percent special pay was granted to the prisons department employees on 13.06.2006 but the same was withdrawn on 26.09.2009 when a special allowance namely prisons allowance, equal to initial pay of the relevant pay scale-2008, was granted. After that, 50 percent Adhoc Relief 2010 was granted on the running basic pay to all employees of other departments on 01.07.2010 except prisons, police, and judiciary etc.
Later on, 50 percent Adhoc Relief 2010 was granted to the Establishment of Lahore High Court on 10.11.2016 along with arrears in the light of decision of the Supreme Court in Civil Appeal No.342-L/2015. In June 2017, the Punjab finance department notified BPS-2017 after reduction of 50 percent amount as drawn at frozen level for those departments which were in receipt of an allowance equal to 100 percent of basic pay in BPS-2008 or BPS-2011
Furthermore, specified departments, which were granted special allowance, equal to initial or basic pay, shall stand frozen at the level of its admissibility as on 30.06.2017. Actually, 50 percent deduction was not applicable for specified departments like prisons and police.
However in July 2017, the Punjab government had abolished the risk allowance being drawn by the police and a new allowance titled as 'police law and order allowance' at the same rate of risk allowance was granted to them on the advice of the finance department.
The case of grant of prison security allowance was earlier placed before Standing Committee of Cabinet on Finance & Development (SCCFD) in its meeting held on 16.09.2021.
The SCCFD considered the subject matter and directed the home department to resubmit the case after consulting the finance department. Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister visited Kot Lakhpat Jail on 13.10.2021 and announced provision of prisons security allowance @ one month running basic pay for prison employees.
However, the SCCFD approved the prison security allowance @ one month initial basic pay (with effect from November 1, 2021) amid opposition by Punjab Prisons Inspector General Mirza Shahid Saleem who said the committee was requested to approve the allowance @ one month running basic pay. The committee, however, concluded that prisons security allowance @ one month running basic pay will be discussed at a later stage.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021