The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has asked Pakistan to terminate additional Utility Stores Corporation employees by June 30 as part of its right-sizing policy.
According to sources, 2,237 daily-wage workers have already been sacked in the first phase and in the second phase, approximately 2,800 contract employees from grades 1 to 13 will be dismissed. Employees in grade 14 and above will be transferred to a surplus pool by the same deadline, sources revealed.
The government has also decided to close an additional 1,000 financially weak Utility Stores by the end of the current fiscal year, reducing the total number from 5,500 to 1,500.
Daily-wage workers at these stores will also be terminated. The remaining stores are slated for privatization, as outlined in official documents.
Last fiscal year, Utility Stores received a Rs38 billion subsidy, but the Rs60 billion allocated for the current year has not been disbursed, sources confirmed.
