The Supreme Court remarked on Thursday that the management of the Pakistan Steel Mills is responsible for its downfall.
The top court was hearing a case on the promotions of the mill employees.
Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed said that mills that have been closed don’t need a managing director or CEO. These offices are nothing but a burden on the national treasury, he said.
Remove all officers and then start sacking the employees, the top judge said.
He remarked that the management worked together and took decisions that affected the mills. “Has the government launched any investigation against the management?”
The court has summoned Federal Planning Minister Asad Umar, Privatisation Minister Muhammad Mian Soomro, Industry and Production Minister Muhammad Hammad Azhar, and the secretaries of these departments in the case.
The chief justice hinted that the court will close down the mills if the management refuses to improve their performance. He remarked that a short order will be issued later in the day.
4,500 employees sacked
According to the PSM spokesperson, lecturers, non-teaching staff at schools and colleges, drivers, firemen, fire tender operators, health workers, security guards, gardeners, paramedical staff, cooks and office attendants are being “retrenched”.
The staff at the chief executive’s secretariat and professional degree holders are being retained.
“The individual letters of retrenchment have been dispatched to all retrenched employees through registered post,” said the spokesperson in a statement.
Pakistan Steel Mills
The Pakistan Steel Mills, which is owned by the federation, is engaged in the manufacture and sale of iron and steel. It is spread over 18,642 acres, of which 10,000 acres is for the Mills while 8,000 is for Steel Town, a residential area, hospital and school.
The Mills have been running in a loss since 2008 and were eventually shut down in 2015. It has caused losses of Rs229 billion to the national treasury.
The Supreme Court is expected to take up the case of the Pakistan Steel Mills employees. A bench headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed and comprising justices Ijazul Ahsan and Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi will take it up.
On June 3, the Economic Coordination Committee approved firing all employees of the Pakistan Steel Mills. A Rs20 billion package has been prepared for the employees and each of them will be given at least Rs2.3 million as golden handshake
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