The Unbalancing Act

he recent attempt by the government to radically reform the public sector pays and pensions system has created unrest among its employees. Fuelled by leaked reports and rumors, there is a growing perception that the state is trying to push government employees to the wall at the behest of international lending institutions. In April, the Finance Ministry had constituted a Pay and Pension Commission to evaluate the current salary and pension scheme and recommend changes. The commission, headed by former finance secretary Wajid Rana, has six months to complete the task. In May, the federal government introduced the Civil Servants (Directory Retirement from Service) Rules 2020 with the (stated) objective of getting rid of incompetent officers by forcing them to retire early. In June, the government decided not to grant a pay-raise to its employees in the federal budget. Click here for Read More