03/04/2014
Employees' termination creates panic in PRAL
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The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Member Information Technology has so far terminated over 30 employees of Pakistan Revenue Automation Limited (PRAL) working on contract, which forced other contractual employees to obtain stay orders from Lahore High Court and Islamabad High Court against the management of PRAL.
The ongoing termination of PRAL employees has created panic in the organisation, seriously harming their professional IT-related work across the country. It is apprehended that the FBR's IT functions would be seriously affected following termination of a large number of IT professionals from PRAL. Details of the issue revealed that the FBR had given the charge of Chief Executive Officer of Pakistan Revenue Automation Private Limited (PRAL) to Raana Ahmed, in addition to her original charge of Member (Information Technology) FBR on February 4, 2014 upon her own request to the FBR Board-in-Council.
Sources said that this charge was given to her upon her own request for better productivity of IT projects of FBR and major clients of PRAL which include National Highway Authority, Sindh Revenue Board, Punjab Revenue Authority, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Revenue Authority, Excise & Taxation Departments of Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.
Reportedly, FBR Member IT, while addressing the PRAL employees assured that no employee of PRAL will be laid-off and the employees should work dedicatedly for achieving better results. But contrary to the assurance, she started terminating the employees just two weeks after her take-over as CEO PRAL. So far, more than 30 employees have been sacked including a General Manager, Senior Manager Operations (Punjab Revenue Authority & Punjab Excise Department), Manager Call Centre, Supervisors, Call Centre Operators, Facilitation Officers posted in the NBP and SBP, etc. The employees have been terminated without giving any notice, without assigning any reason and even without providing the opportunity of being heard.
PRAL is one of the unique type of IT company in the country that provides end-to-end IT solutions to the Federal Board of Revenue, SRB, PRA, KPRA, Punjab Excise & Taxation Department, Sindh Excise & Taxation Department and National Highway Authority. About half a million taxpayers allover the country avail electronic services at the taxpayer facilitation portals developed, operated and managed by PRAL. These services include system analysis/design, data centre management, network management, operational support, etc. A number of banks branches use the Computerised Tax Collection System with the help of facilitation officers of PRAL working in over 250 branches. The FBR is taking these harsh steps without taking into consideration long-term implication of creating panic in a stable IT company fully equipped and geared to provide IT services to many other government/semi-government departments.
Sources said that the employees of PRAL had lost confidence in the company and started searching jobs elsewhere for secure and better future. Provincial government departments are very much concerned about unannounced, unilateral and unwanted revamping/downsizing in PRAL, which is adversely impacting their operations targets. The desperate and frustrated IT professionals of PRAL have now started knocking the doors of the courts for seeking justice. It is learnt that hundreds of contractual employees have successfully obtained stay orders from Lahore High Court and Islamabad High Court against the management of PRAL in their favour with the hope of job security. On the other hand, in cases where the sacked employees have filed writs in the courts, the courts have issued notices to the Chairman FBR, Chief Executive PRAL and others for submitting their reply/justification of taking such harsh actions by a temporary CEO.
It is worth mentioning here that the post of CEO PRAL is lying vacant for more than a year and FBR has not filled this post like many other state-owned organisations. The Board of Directors of PRAL, first given additional charge to one of its General Managers Imtiaz who worked in this position for about a year and then instead of hiring a regular CEO for the company, FBR gave this charge abruptly to Member (IT). Those who have not yet been terminated have started looking for jobs and there is hardly any work being done by them in the company. The calls of the taxpayers are not being handled professionally, and moreover the 24-Hrs service has been discontinued and there are no support services on holidays.
Employees' termination creates panic in PRAL
----------------------------------------------------------
The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Member Information Technology has so far terminated over 30 employees of Pakistan Revenue Automation Limited (PRAL) working on contract, which forced other contractual employees to obtain stay orders from Lahore High Court and Islamabad High Court against the management of PRAL.
The ongoing termination of PRAL employees has created panic in the organisation, seriously harming their professional IT-related work across the country. It is apprehended that the FBR's IT functions would be seriously affected following termination of a large number of IT professionals from PRAL. Details of the issue revealed that the FBR had given the charge of Chief Executive Officer of Pakistan Revenue Automation Private Limited (PRAL) to Raana Ahmed, in addition to her original charge of Member (Information Technology) FBR on February 4, 2014 upon her own request to the FBR Board-in-Council.
Sources said that this charge was given to her upon her own request for better productivity of IT projects of FBR and major clients of PRAL which include National Highway Authority, Sindh Revenue Board, Punjab Revenue Authority, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Revenue Authority, Excise & Taxation Departments of Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.
Reportedly, FBR Member IT, while addressing the PRAL employees assured that no employee of PRAL will be laid-off and the employees should work dedicatedly for achieving better results. But contrary to the assurance, she started terminating the employees just two weeks after her take-over as CEO PRAL. So far, more than 30 employees have been sacked including a General Manager, Senior Manager Operations (Punjab Revenue Authority & Punjab Excise Department), Manager Call Centre, Supervisors, Call Centre Operators, Facilitation Officers posted in the NBP and SBP, etc. The employees have been terminated without giving any notice, without assigning any reason and even without providing the opportunity of being heard.
PRAL is one of the unique type of IT company in the country that provides end-to-end IT solutions to the Federal Board of Revenue, SRB, PRA, KPRA, Punjab Excise & Taxation Department, Sindh Excise & Taxation Department and National Highway Authority. About half a million taxpayers allover the country avail electronic services at the taxpayer facilitation portals developed, operated and managed by PRAL. These services include system analysis/design, data centre management, network management, operational support, etc. A number of banks branches use the Computerised Tax Collection System with the help of facilitation officers of PRAL working in over 250 branches. The FBR is taking these harsh steps without taking into consideration long-term implication of creating panic in a stable IT company fully equipped and geared to provide IT services to many other government/semi-government departments.
Sources said that the employees of PRAL had lost confidence in the company and started searching jobs elsewhere for secure and better future. Provincial government departments are very much concerned about unannounced, unilateral and unwanted revamping/downsizing in PRAL, which is adversely impacting their operations targets. The desperate and frustrated IT professionals of PRAL have now started knocking the doors of the courts for seeking justice. It is learnt that hundreds of contractual employees have successfully obtained stay orders from Lahore High Court and Islamabad High Court against the management of PRAL in their favour with the hope of job security. On the other hand, in cases where the sacked employees have filed writs in the courts, the courts have issued notices to the Chairman FBR, Chief Executive PRAL and others for submitting their reply/justification of taking such harsh actions by a temporary CEO.
It is worth mentioning here that the post of CEO PRAL is lying vacant for more than a year and FBR has not filled this post like many other state-owned organisations. The Board of Directors of PRAL, first given additional charge to one of its General Managers Imtiaz who worked in this position for about a year and then instead of hiring a regular CEO for the company, FBR gave this charge abruptly to Member (IT). Those who have not yet been terminated have started looking for jobs and there is hardly any work being done by them in the company. The calls of the taxpayers are not being handled professionally, and moreover the 24-Hrs service has been discontinued and there are no support services on holidays.
