A Long Struggle ends in a
Win.
By : Salman Ali
National Database
and Registration Authority ( NADRA) is the leading organization in
Pakistan that keeps the record of all the citizens of Pakistan. It
issues national identity cards, passports, other cards for
identification purpose. It is based on computerized system and well
known intentionally.
NADRA
was established as National Database Organization (NDO), an attached
department under the Ministry of Interior Government of Pakistan in
1998. On 10 March 2000, NDO and Directorate General of Registration
merged to form NADRA with requisite autonomy to operate independently
and facilitate good governance within the country.
In 2009
NADRA Union of Employees Pakistan was announced as it was the demand of
young workers of this newly established body and in starting there were
18000 employees in NADRA who were working on contract basis throughout
the country including 8500 in Punjab.
The twist in the
tail started when the administration of NADRA suspended almost 57 office
bearers of
Employees Welfare Association (EWA) for steering the campaign for
confirmation of some 18000 contractual staffers on 21st July
2012 . EWA members started a struggle for regularizing the staff which
was on contract but on the other hand the administration in NADRA didn’t
allow them to work. Developing the strategy with more workers’ the fired
employees filed an application in the Department of Labour Punjab for
seeking permission to constitute Union in NADRA.
With the help of
young members, sacked employees build a union on 7th July,
2012 and started to work for the rights of workers. Many protests were
arranged 14th to 26th of February but key one was
made in March 20, 2012
when employees gathered at the Parade
Lane in front of the parliament house and for a sit-in until their
demands are not met. But sadly 37 of NADRA employees were arrested then
later jailed and F.I.R was charged on 200. Suspended employees went to
all districts to build a strong relation and to make their union strong
which can come up to deal with government and NADRA officials.
Ghulam
Murtaza, General Secretary NADRA Employees Union of Punjab talked with
LEF and said, “there were 18000 employees working on contract basis
throughout the country including 8500 in Punjab. All employees were
observing shutter down strike against management for not regularize
their jobs which was our plus point.
“NADRA employees were working on contract basis from last
12 years and they had no job security. Most of the contractual employees
were working on Office Assistant, Data entry Operator, Superintendent,
Assistant Manager, System Engineers and Deputy Manger posts.
“Only registration branch employees were enjoying jobs and all others
were working on temporary basis. Contract employees were hired by the
help of any MPA or MNA. So our union also reacted on direct hiring of
staff says”, Murtaza.
Nadra Employees
Union Punjab (NEUP) demanded from the government to regularized them and
impose ban on direct appointment in Nadra. The demands were made during
a protest demonstration held here at Lahore in front of Lahore Press
Club on 24th May 2012. Demonstrators were carrying banners and placards
inscribed with different slogans in favour of their demands. But the
government reacted in different way and suspended 61 employees from
Balochistan, Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Punjab who were
involved in peaceful strike starting from 21st Februray 2012.
Case was filled
in High court on 29th March 2012 for reinstatement of the
employees and after a hiring on 16th July 2012 the court gave
orders in favour of those 61 employees and reinstated them on their jobs
and about 17000 employees were regularized. It was a win for NADRA union
workers.
Mohammad Asif Bashir
President (NEUP) while talking to LEF said that, “ it was an hard
struggle but the main focus of our agenda was that lower grade staff
with higher education should not be promoted according to their
qualification as well as 100 percent house subsidy should be given to
the employees working in big cities. we had an charter of demands urged
for promotion of statistical assistants to grade 17, fill all the
vacancies of DGR from lower to upper grade through time scale, provide
pension to all old employees of National Identity Card (NID) from AGPR,
allot office to NEU in provincial headquarter and give appointment to
NADRA employees son.
They also urged
for an opportunity for the promotion of senior staff and avoid direct
appointment of SE, AM as well as Supervisor. He said our demands were
fulfilled because union showed unity and employees showed trust in
them”.
Niaz Khan
(General Secretary National Trade Union Federation Punjab) said,
“thanked Lahore High Court for their judgment in favour of workers of
NADRA.