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The Employee Strike at University of Health Sciences, Lahore−Punjab
Zafar I. Qureshi and Hassan Mahmood Asian Journal of Management Cases 2012 9: 127 DOI: 10.1177/0972820112454241 The online version of this article can be found at: http://ajc.sagepub.com/content/9/2/127

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Case Editor’s Introduction

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Asian Journal of Management Cases 9(2) 127–140 © 2012 Lahore University of Management Sciences SAGE Publications Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore, Washington DC DOI: 10.1177/0972820112454241 http://ajc.sagepub.com

The Employee Strike at University of Health Sciences, Lahore–Punjab
Zafar I. Qureshi Hassan Mahmood

Abstract This case traces the series of events that led to the crippling employee strike faced by the University of Health Sciences in 2009–2010. Instigated by a somewhat ambiguously worded directive from the Punjab Government (under whose aegis the UHS functions) regarding the regularization of contract employees, the misunderstanding snowballed into a full-fledged revolt by the majority of the UHS contractual staff against the university management. This led to the university finally having to relieve 65 per cent of its work force from employment. This case narrates in detail how these events came to pass. It also presents a brief overview of the UHS organizational structure; its decision-making dynamics; and the institutional context in which it functions. A brief outline of the university VC’s leadership style is also presented. Keywords Contract employees, strike, violence, leadership style, litigation, negotiation.

Introduction
In July 2010, Dr Mubbashir, the Vice Chancellor (VC) of University of Health Sciences, Lahore (UHS), was in his office pondering over the events of recent months. The functioning of the university had been brought to a halt by a strike of the non-managerial staff forcing the administration to relieve 65 per cent of its workforce from employment. The chain of events preceding this decision not only immensely affected the functioning of the university, it also marred the reputation of an institution which had up till the incident prided itself on its discipline and performance excellence. The university administration had been shaken and many of them were left wondering what they could have done differently to avoid this turn of events. As Dr Mubbashir looked out of the window at a

This case was written by Research Associate, Hassan Mahmood (hassan.mahmood@lums.edu.pk) under the supervision of Professor Zafar Iqbal Qureshi (zafar@lums.edu.pk) at the Lahore University of Management Sciences to serve as basis for class discussion rather than to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of an administrative situation. This material may not be quoted, photocopied or reproduced in any form without the prior written consent of the Lahore University of Management Sciences.

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group of office clerks talking over their lunch, the same question was crossing his mind. He was deeply troubled by the loss of so many jobs and was wondering what he could have done differently to prevent events from coming to such a tragic culmination. Moreover, he was also trying to figure out the measures he could take to avoid such events from occurring again in the future.

The University
The University of Health Sciences was established on 28 September 2002 through the promulgation of the UHS Ordinance, to serve as a governing and coordinating body for the medical colleges and health sciences related institutions in Punjab. In 2010, it had eighty colleges and institutions affiliated with it and a registered student body of about 28,000 undergraduate and 2,800 graduate students. The stated aim for establishing the university, as outlined in its mission statement, was to bring about a ‘qualitative and quantitative revolution in medical education and research.’ The university aimed to accomplish this mission by improving the quality of instruction of basic medical sciences in its affiliated institutions; revitalizing the neglected fields of nursing and other allied sciences; pioneering courses in biomedical engineering, genetics and behavioural studies; and fostering significant on-campus and offcampus research activities. To date the university had successfully implemented several initiatives including the revamping of the medical and health sciences curricula in its affiliated institutions; the development of a ‘high fidelity, high security and transparent’ examination system; the establishment of a teacher development programme for medical faculty; the initiation of undergraduate and graduate programme in Nursing and Allied Sciences; and the establishment of several state-of-the-art, research focused medical departments and labs in disciplines ranging from physiology and cell biology to human genetics and biotechnology. The university had also formed academic linkages with several reputed international universities and won recognition for its degrees from several national and international bodies including the Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), General Medical Council, UK, General Dental Council, UK and the World Health Organization (WHO). At present, extensive research in more than 180 different areas including asthma, diabetes, tuberculosis, typhoid, infertility, environmental pollution, etc. was being undertaken on-campus. This new research focus encouraged professors to publish more than fifty research papers in high impact international journals in the few years since the university’s inception. The university administration felt that one of the reasons for UHS’ success was its ‘no clerk culture’1, which had been instituted on the express instructions of the university’s Board of Governors (BoG). The BoG had felt that the ambitious aims that UHS had set itself were more likely to be met if competent and capable personnel were hired to run the administrative affairs and support system of the university. It was with this goal in mind that the university management offered competitive and market-driven (at least compared to other public sector organizations) contract based employment to its entire administrative staff (see Figure 1 for UHS organizational chart). As it turned out, it was these very ‘professionals’ who ended up rebelling against the university contract employment policy and plunging the organization into the biggest crisis it had faced in its short life. Asian Journal of Management Cases, 9, 2 (2012): 127–140

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Board of Governors

Vice Chancellor

University Syndicate

Medical Education

Administration & Management

Controller of Examination Figure 1. University Administrative Chart
Source: UHS Documents.

Registrar

Director Administration & Security

The Employee Strike
On 14 October 2009, the Services and General Administrative Department (S&GAD) of the Government of Punjab (GoP) issued a notification, on the Chief Minister’s directive, that ordered ‘all autonomous/ semi-autonomous bodies’ and ‘special institutions in the Punjab’ to regularize the services of contract appointees in Basic Scales 1 to 15 (BS 1–15) in line with the S&GAD Notification (see Annexure 1). This notification explicitly stated that this order only covered employees who had been hired under the Contract Appointment Policy issued by the S&GAD in 2004 and was limited to the ‘various departments of the Punjab Government.’ It did not, however, cover the contract employees ‘working against posts in various projects/programs/PMUs/PMOs and other time bound (one-time) development activities.’ The notification created a degree of excitement amongst the UHS staff and several of them began to hope that their contract employment would also be regularized. After all, they reasoned, the UHS was an affiliated autonomous body of the Punjab Government and so the order should apply to it too. As days passed and no affirmation or firm denial of the applicability of the notification to UHS contract employees was issued by the UHS administration, the excitement amongst the employees began to translate into disappointment. On 24 October 2009, ten days after the issuance of the GoP Notification, several employees of UHS gathered outside the campus and observed a strike against the administration. The administration, taking note of this situation, decided to call a meeting of a subcommittee of The Board of Governors (BoG) to decide how best to tackle this issue. This meeting took place on Asian Journal of Management Cases, 9, 2 (2012): 127–140

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29 October 2009. The assembled board members were informed that no separate copy of the GOP Notification under question had been sent to UHS, which the administration had taken to mean that the notification did not apply to them. The day after the meeting (i.e. 30 October 2009) the VC and senior officers of the university met the protesting employees and persuaded them to resume their duties, promising that the university would consider their demand according to the applicability of the notification to the employees of UHS. On 31 October 2009, the day after the meeting between the university administration and the striking employees, The National Seminar of the Medical Research Society of Pakistan was held at UHS. Several of the employees decided to leverage this occasion to air their grievances publicly. They decided to stage a protest and insisted that their demands be presented to the UHS Board of Governors. The administration, in an attempt at avoiding any embarrassment in front of the visiting local and foreign delegates, seemingly acceded to the demands of the protestors. As a result, the protests were called off for the day. Two days later (on 2 November 2009) Dr Mubbashir, the VC of UHS, wrote a letter to the Finance Department of the Government of Punjab, which highlighted the confusion that the 14 October regularization notification had caused within UHS (see Annexure 2). In this letter the VC inquired about the financial repercussions of regularizing the contract employees at UHS. More particularly, he wanted to know whether these regularized employees would be eligible to receive the special pay packages (which included fairly generous house rent and special cash allowances) that were given to them as contract employees of the university. Also, he wanted to know whether Section 7 of the original notification, which stated that all contract employees had an option either to hold on to their contract package or to opt for permanent employment and standard Government of Punjab remuneration packages would also be applicable to the UHS employees. (Section 7 of the notification also stated that those employees who chose to continue with their contract packages would not be given any extension in their contracts once the original contract expired.) The UHS administration decided to internally deliberate on the implications of Section 7 for the UHS employees. However, around 7 November 2009, reports of a certain slow down in the performance of duties by the lower staff began to come to the attention of the senior administration. However, as no clear signal from the BoG was forthcoming at this point regarding the course of action that should be adopted by the administration, nor had the government clarified the regularization notice’s implications for UHS, the university administration decided to wait for these issues to clear up before taking any decisive action against the suspected employee subordination. On 17 December 2009, a letter was circulated by the striking employees in the university proclaiming the establishment of a workers union by the name of All Pakistan Clerical Association (APCA). This action was aimed at not only organizing the UHS striking employees more effectively, but also to acquire support of other worker unions for the UHS strike effort. This letter, which was dated 25 October 2009, also contained the names of the office bearers of the union. On the same day the APCA president, Mr Naveed, announced that he had obtained a stay order from the Lahore High Court which prevented the UHS administration from taking any adverse action against him or any other officer bearer of the newly formed union. On 21 and 22 December 2009, two more members of the 10-member working committee of the APCA made it known that they had been awarded similar stay orders by the Lahore High Court (LHC). Amid this turmoil, Dr Mubbashir, the VC of UHS wrote to the Secretary Health of the GoP and the Regulations Section of the S&GAD on 21 December 2009, requesting a clarification whether the Asian Journal of Management Cases, 9, 2 (2012): 127–140

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employment regularization notice issued by the S&GAD on 14 October 2009 applied to UHS, which was described as a ‘body corporate’ in the UHS ordinance 2002. An early response was requested since a meeting of the BoG was scheduled for 2 February 2010 and the matter would come up for discussion in that meeting. In the meanwhile, emboldened by the judicial support they had obtained, the APCA began to act more aggressively. On 22 December 2009, seven individuals, including Mr Naveed, the president of the APCA, and four more members of his working committee entered the office of the Controller of Examinations and allegedly manhandled him and used foul language. The administration, sticking to its placatory tact decided, instead of initiating a formal disciplinary inquiry into the incident, to appoint a Grievance and Redressal Committee, which would allow the striking employees an opportunity to air their grievances. This conciliatory attempt was however completely ignored by the striking group. The administration not wanting to anger the employees further decided to let the incident pass and no disciplinary action of any kind was taken against the alleged perpetrators. On 20 January 2010, a sub-committee of the BoG met the representatives of the employees and assured them that their demands would be presented to the BoG. The employees, now under the umbrella of the APCA, again ignored this gesture of the administration. Three days later, on 23 January 2010, an unauthorized oath taking ceremony, attended by more than 400 outsiders, was held by the APCA in the UHS auditorium. This was followed on the same day by the posting of protest banners, deemed abusive by the UHS administration, at several places on campus. All APCA–linked employees abandoned their work completely from this day onwards and the relationship between the administration and the striking employees began to deteriorate fast. On 24 January 2010, certain APCA linked individuals forcefully occupied the office of the Centre for Innovation and Learning (CILT) and replaced its board by one which proclaimed the space to be the new office of the APCA, UHS. On the same day, a senior faculty member was threatened and prevented from entering his office. The next day (25 January 2010) the formation of a twelve-member Action Committee of the APCA was announced through a circular and the following day (26 January 2010), a general strike was observed by the employees which paralyzed the working of the UHS and affected a Higher Education Commission (HEC) organized workshop that was being held on campus. On 2 February 2010, just four days before the scheduled BoG meeting, the VC not having received a reply from either the Secretary Health or the S&GAD wrote to them again, pleading that a clarification be made available before the meeting (see Annexure 3). Two days later, on 4 February 2010, the S&GAD dropped a bombshell; the service regularization notice which had caused all the commotion was not even applicable to the UHS employees, as none of them had been hired under the Contract Employment Policy 2004 (see Annexure 4). They thus were still legally bound by all the strictures of the original contract they had signed when joining UHS. This news was the main talking point in the BoG meeting which took place two days later (6 February 2010). However, the strike by now seemed to have gained so much momentum that the news that the original notification did not apply to them did not deter the striking employees (see Figures 2 to 5). On 3 March 2010, the APCA issued a formal schedule of protest. Six days later a congregation of lower staff gathered in front of the VC’s office and banged on his door. The VC, by now running out of patience, decided to take some disciplinary action and called the APCA president and one of his deputies in front of the disciplinary committee asking them to explain their behaviour. Instead of explaining their behaviour, they reportedly misbehaved during the hearing. Asian Journal of Management Cases, 9, 2 (2012): 127–140

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Figure 2. UHS Employees Protesting outside the University
Source: UHS Documents.

Figure 3. UHS Employees Protesting on the Mall Road, Lahore
Source: UHS Documents.

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Figure 4. UHS Employees Protesting at Faisal Chowk, Lahore
Source: UHS Documents.

Figure 5. The Children of UHS Employees Protesting with their Parents—Two of the Banners Read: Uncle, My Father has Brought Me here to Sell Me and Chief Minister, I Cannot Go to School
Source: UHS Documents.

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Meanwhile, the protests continued with the protestors growing more and more agitated. By 17 March 2010, the University administration had grown so concerned that police help was sought to protect the ‘life and property’ of the people at UHS. Shortly thereafter (on 20 March 2010) a meeting of the BoG was held and it was decided that action be taken (disciplinary or otherwise) in line with the statutes of the UHS Ordinance to deal with the situation which had grown out of hand. A day earlier (on 19 March 2010) a meeting chaired by the Secretary Health had repeated the S&GAD’s verdict that the 14 October 2010 regularization notice did not apply to UHS. The committee constituted by the BoG to deal with the strike, decided at first to try a reconciliatory approach. Accordingly, it announced that all striking employees would be granted an extension in their contracts if they resumed their duties. Contract letters with extended employment dates were also sent. This move, however, only served to agitate the employees further, a number of whom occupied the Tabulation Section of the computer department and prevented the administration from accessing and announcing the results for the MBBS/BDS supplementary examinations. On 25 March 2010, the strike finally reached its ugliest turn. Violent protests were held inside the university and verbal abuses were hurled at senior officers and faculty members, some of whom were made hostages and prevented from leaving their offices. The water supply to the university was also cut off and a university generator was damaged. All university functions were effectively paralyzed. Ultimately, the police had to be called in to rescue the faculty and disperse the protestors. The senior law and order officers in the province were also promptly made aware of this turn of events. The agitation resumed again the next day and faculty and staff were prevented from entering the university. Threats were also made that the university would be burned down if the demands of the protestors were not met. A few days later, a junior registration officer working at the university was threatened that his legs would be broken if he did not join the strike. The administration however still held out some hopes of reconciliation and published an ad in the paper extending the deadline for signing the new contracts by three days (to 3 April 2010). By 5 April 2010, having received an almost negligible response to its conciliatory policies, the administration finally decided to shift tact and announced that disciplinary action would be instigated against absentee employees. A hearing was scheduled for 14 April 2010, which again went largely unattended, as employees continued to protest outside the university. Meanwhile, the university also received a letter from the Chief Minister’s secretariat which confirmed that the earlier regularization notice was not applicable to UHS and it was free to deal with its employees according to its own corporate rules. On 28 April 2010, a subcommittee of the BoG finally directed the administration to finalize and execute its disciplinary measures as there was no point left in waiting anymore. Therefore, on 30 April 2010, the UHS dispatched the outstanding salary payments of the protesting employees and cancelled their contracts.

Looking Forward
As Dr Mubbashir ruminated over this series of events, he tried to puzzle out what he could have done differently to prevent matters from reaching the culmination that they ultimately had. Perhaps it would have helped if clearer and more decisive communication with the employees had been established from the moment the 14 October Regularization Notification had been issued. Asian Journal of Management Cases, 9, 2 (2012): 127–140

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But then again it would have been tough to act decisively when so many variables had been unknown at the time, like for example, whether or not the notification even applied to UHS. And, even if timely clarifications from the relevant government departments had been received, could the administration have acted on such a major issue without the approval of the BoG? Or perhaps the main problem lay with the way the administration had let so many indiscretions on part of the employees go unpunished. Perhaps, it would have been better to take a tougher stance at the start of the agitation. Dr Mubbashir even thought about his own paternalistic leadership style and wondered whether it had contributed in any way to the crisis. From his perspective, he felt that the striking employees had betrayed the UHS ‘family’ by taking their problems to the public—thereby hurting the image of the institution. Dr Mubbashir thought that he as a father figure had done all that was in his power to resolve the matter amicably and keep the UHS ‘family’ together and happy, but felt that the striking employees had forced his hand when they had started to undermine the university’s interests at large. Still he was troubled by the huge human and social cost that the strike had exacted and wondered whether he had done everything in his power to minimize it. These and several similar questions were whirling around in Dr Mubbashir’s mind as he pondered over how similar events could be tackled more effectively in the future.
Annexure 1. The 14 October ‘Regularization of Contract Employees’ Notice from the S&GAD Department GOVERNMENT OF THE PUNJAB SERVICES AND GENERAL ADMINISTRATION DEPARTMENT (REGULATIONS WING) Dated Lahore: 14th October, 2009 NOTIFICATION No. NO.DS (O&M) 5-3/2004/CONTRACT (MF). The Chief Minister of the Punjab has been pleased to direct all Autonomous/Semi-Autonomous Bodies, Special Institutions in the Punjab shall make appointments on regular basis of the contract appointees in BS-1 to 15 in line with the Service & General Administration Department notification No. DS (O&M) 5-3/2004/Contract (MF) date 14.10.2009 (copy enclosed). BY THE ORDER OF THE CHIEF MINISTER, PUNJAB MUHAMMAD ILYAS SECRETARY (REGULATIONS), S&GAD Dated Lahore: 14th October, 2009 No. NO.DS (O&M) 5-3/2004/CONTRACT (MF) A copy is forwarded for information and necessary action to: 1. The Principal Secretary to Governor of the Punjab. 2. The Secretary to Chief Minister, Punjab. 3. The Senior Member, Board of Revenue, Punjab. 4. Chairman Planning & Development Board Punjab. 5. The Chairman, Chief Minister’s Inception Team, Punjab Lahore. 6. All Administrative Secretaries to Government of Punjab. 7. The Secretary Ombudsman Punjab 2- Bank Road Lahore. 8. The Registrar, Lahore High Court, Lahore. (Annexure 1 continued)

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(Annexure 1 continued) 9. The Registrar Punjab Service Tribunal. 10. The Inspector General of Police, Punjab/Provincial Police Officer. 11. The Accountant General, Punjab, Lahore. 12. All Head of Attached Departments in the Punjab. 13. All Commissioners in the Punjab. 14. All District Coordination Officers. 15. All Heads of Autonomous Bodies in the Punjab. 16. The Secretary, Provincial Assembly Punjab. 17. The Secretary, Punjab Public Service Commission, Lahore. 18. All District Accounts Officers in the Punjab. 19. PS to Chief Secretary, Punjab, Lahore. 20. PSO to Additional Chief Secretary, Punjab, Lahore. 21. PSs to Secretary (Services), Secretary (Regulations), Secretary (I&C) S&GA Department. 22. All Additional Secretary/Deputy Secretary/Section Officers in the S&GAD. 23. The Superintendent, Government Printing Press, Punjab, Lahore. He is requested to publish this notification in the official gazette and provide 50 copies to this Department. AFZAL NASIR KHAN DEPUTY SECRETARY (O&M), S&GAD GOVERNMENT OF THE PUNJAB SERVICES AND GENERAL ADMINISTRATION DEPARTMENT (REGULATIONS WINGS) Dated: Lahore 11th October, 2009 No. NO.DS (O&M) 5-3/2004/CONTRACT (MF). 1. In exercise of the powers conferred upon him by rule 23 of the Punjab Civil Servants (Appointment and Conditions Services) Rules, 1974, the Chief Minister, Punjab is pleased to order appointments, on regular basis, in relaxation of the relevant services rules, of the employees in BS-1 to 15, Recruited on contract basis. Order the provisions of the Contract Appointment Policy issued by the S&GAD in 2004 against the posts presently held by them in various Government Departments of the Punjab, with immediate effect. However, the contract employees working against the posts in various projects/ programs /PMUs/PMOs and other time bound (one time) development activities shall not be covered by this notification. 2. For the purpose of this notification, the Chief Minister, Punjab has further been pleased to withdraw the posts of BS-11 to 15 presently held by contract employees, as mentioned in the rule 16 of the Punjab Civil Servant (Appointment and Conditions of Service) Rules, 1974 from the purview of the Punjab Public Service Commission in terms of rule 5 of the Punjab Public Service Commission (Functions) Rules 1978. 3. These appointments will however be subject to fulfillment of requirements of rule 18, 19, 20, 21 and 21-A of the Punjab Civil Servants (Appointments and Conditions of Service) rules, 1974. 4. The Contract appointees on their regular appointments shall remain on probation in terms of Section 5 of the Punjab Civil Servant act 1974, and rule 7of the Punjab Civil Servant (Appointments and Conditions of Service) Rules, 1974. 5. The Service period of contract employees shall not be counted for any purpose (pension, gratuity, leave, etc.) on their appointment under the Punjab Civil Servant Act, 1974 and the rules framed there under. The salary component of such employees shall be accordance with the pay scales plus the usual allowances prescribed for the posts against which they are being appointed. They will, however not be entitled to the payment of 30% social security benefits in lieu of pension or any other pay package being drawn by them.

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6. However, pay of the contract employees being appointed in the basic pay scales shall be fixed at the initial of the respective pay scales and increment (s) already earned during the contract appointment period shall be converted into Personal Allowance. The pay of those appointed on the basis of pay package will be fixed in consultation with the Finance Department. The decision of the Finance Department in this behalf shall be final. The Finance Department shall constitute an Anomalies Committee to resolve the issue arising out of appointments of contract employees on regular basis. 7. The Contract employees who do not intend to be appointed on regular basis should furnish their option to this effect in writing within 30 days from date of issuance of their appointment letters by the respective appointing authorities. They may continue with their present employment as per terms and conditions of their contract. However, No extension in their contract period shall be allowed. Those who intend to be appointed on regular basis need not apply. The option once exercised shall be final. BY THE ORDER OF THE CHIEF MINISTER, PUNJAB MUHAMMAD ILYAS SECRETARY (REGULATIONS), S&GAD Dated Lahore: 14th October, 2009 No. NO.DS (O&M) 5-3/2004/CONTRACT (MF) A copy is forwarded for information and necessary action to: 1. The Principal Secretary to Governor of the Punjab. 2. The Secretary to Chief Minister, Punjab. 3. The Senior Member, Board of Revenue, Punjab. 4. Chairman Planning & Development Board, Punjab. 5. The Chairman, Chief Minister’s Inspection Team, Punjab Lahore. 6. All Administrative Secretaries to Government of Punjab. 7. The Secretary Ombudsman Punjab 2- Bank Road, Lahore. 8. The Registrar, Lahore High Court, Lahore. 9. The Registrar Punjab Service Tribunal. 10. The Inspector General of Police, Punjab/Provincial Police Officer. 11. The Accountant General, Punjab, Lahore. 12. All Head of Attached Departments in the Punjab. 13. All Commissioners in the Punjab. 14. All District Coordination Officers. 15. All Heads of Autonomous Bodies in the Punjab. 16. The Secretary, Provincial Assembly Punjab. 17. The Secretary, Punjab Public Service Commission, Lahore. 18. All District Accounts Officers in the Punjab. 19. PS to Chief Secretary, Punjab, Lahore. 20. PSO to Additional Chief Secretary, Punjab, Lahore. 21. PSs to Secretary (Services), Secretary (Regulations), Secretary (I&C) S&GA Department. 22. All Additional Secretary/Deputy Secretary/Section Officers in the S&GAD. 23. The Superintendent, Government Printing Press, Punjab, Lahore. He is requested to publish this notification in the official gazette and provide 50 copies to this Department. AFZAL NASIR KHAN DEPUTY SECRETARY (O&M), S&GAD
Source: UHS Documents.

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Annexure 2. Dr Mubbashir’s Letter to the Secretary Finance dated 2 November 2009 No. UHS/VC-09/218. Dated: November 2, 2009. Mr. Tariq Mahmood Pasha, Secretary FINANCE, Government of the Punjab, Civil Secretariat, Lahore. Dear Secretary Sahib, I am writing to you with reference to Sections 5 and 6 of the Notification No. DS (O&M) 5-3/2004/CONTRACT (MF), dated 14th October 2009, which clearly states that those employees of Grad-1 to 15 who are regularized will not be entitled to the payment of 30% social security benefits or any other pay package drawn by them. UHS Grade 1-15 employees get a special pay package and special House Rent allowance, the details of which are attached at Annex. Will contract employees who are to be employed on ‘regular basis’ have an option, as per Section 7 of the orders mentioned above? I would be grateful if a clarification to this effect is issued by your office urgently. With profound regards, Yours sincerely, Prof. Dr. Malik Hussain Mubbashar Hilal-e-Imtiaz, Sitara-e-Imtiaz Vice Chancellor/Chief Executive University of Health Sciences Encl: As above Special Additional Package to UHS Employees Special Allowance HRA 3,000 1,805 3,200 1,805 3,500 2,645 4,000 2,645 4,200 2,645 4,200 2,645 4,200 4,025 4,500 4,025 5,000 4,025 5,500 4,025 6,000 5,885 6,500 5,885 7,000 5,885 7,000 7,440 7,500 7,440 HRA given by the Punjab Government (45% of the initial pay) 1337 1366 1413 1458 1503 1544 1589 1649 1719 1780 1852 1960 2090 2214 2349

Basic Scale 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Source: UHS Documents.

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Annexure 3. Dr Mubbashir’s Letter to the Regulations Department (Civil Secretariat Punjab) dated, 2 February 2010 Confidential No. UHS/VC-10/15. Dated: February 2, 2010. Mr. Muhammad Ilyas Ch., Secretary to Government of the Punjab, Regulations Department, Civil Secretariat Punjab, Lahore. Dear Secretary Sahib, Further to my earlier letter No. UHS/VC-09/255, dated December 21, 2009 addressed to Secretary Health Punjab and advance copy to your department, requesting for an opinion/clarification on a point whether the University of Health Sciences, which has been described as ‘Body Corporate’ in the UHS Ordinance 2002, the notification dated 14th October 2009 issued by S&GAD (Regulation Wing) is applicable also to our contract employees or not? Copy each of the Ordinance 2002 and Service Statutes of UHS is enclosed for your perusal. I shall be grateful, if the matter is expedited as the case of regularization of contract employees in BS-1 to BS-15 is to be considered in the forthcoming meeting of board of Governors scheduled on 6.2.2010. With kindest regards, Yours sincerely, Prof. Dr. Malik Hussain Mubbashar Hilal-e-Imtiaz, Sitara-e-Imtiaz Vice Chancellor/Chief Executive University of Health Sciences Encl: As above
Source: UHS Documents.

Annexure 4. Reply from the S&GAD Department (Regulation Wing), dated 4 February 2010 CONFIDENTIAL To NO.DS (O&M) 6-2/10/CONTRACT/UHS GOVERNMENT OF THE PUNJAB SERVICES & GENERAL ADMINISTRATION DEPARTMENT (REGULATION WING) Dated Lahore the 4th February, 2010

The Vice Chancellor University of Health Sciences, Lahore.

SUBJECT: APPOINTMENT OF CONTRACT EMPLOYEES ON REGULAR BASIS Please refer to your letter No. UHS/VC-10/15, dated 02.02.2010 on the subject noted above. 2. The matter has been examined by the Regulation Wing S&GAD. It has been observed that terms and conditions of the employees are to be determined by University as provided under section 4(xiii) of the University of Health Sciences Lahore Ordinance, 2002. Which reads as under: (Annexure 4 continued)

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(Annexure 4 continued) “Create posts in connection with teaching, research publication, extension, training and administration of its affairs and for any other related purposes and appoint persons thereto on such terms and conditions as it may determine”

3. In case appointments were made under the provisions of rules/regulations/statutes/laws of the University and not as per Contract Appointment Policy – 2004, the University may proceed in accordance with its own ordinance/rules/regulations/statutes and exercise its discretion provided therein. (RUKHSANA NADEEM BHUTTA) Additional Secretary (Regulations) S&GAD
Source: UHS Documents.

Note
1. The term ‘clerk culture’ was popularly used in Pakistani office circles to refer to the propensity of office workers to do as little work as possible while demanding maximum benefits. This culture was usually associated with less educated, low paid clerical staff.

Asian Journal of Management Cases, 9, 2 (2012): 127–140

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