Railways Dept. recruits 115 for 35 vacancies
The Auditor General’s Department has revealed that there were only three retired officers in the batch of 120 ‘retired officers’ of the armed forces recruited by the Department of Railways for its Railway Security Force. However, All Ceylon Railway Employees’ Union member S P Vithanage charged that all officers continue to work at the Department of Railways despite the Auditor General’s Department’s revelation.
A letter dated 26.01.2007 issued by the Director General of the Department of Management Services, states that a staff of 438 has been approved for the Railway Security Force and that permission had been granted to fill 35 vacancies . However, this recruitment was halted and 115 retired officers from the three armed forces were recruited on contract basis under cabinet paper no. 08/0393/358/015.
The cabinet had decreed that since these armed forces personnel have retired, recruiting should be done based on the recommendations made by the National Salaries and Cadres Commission.
The cabinet has also decided that since 115 officers had been recruited for 35 vacancies, the ministry should take steps to find what the correct number of employees that was needed and approval should be sought from the Department of Management Services.
The cabinet had stated that the salary of these personnel should be 50% of the salary (without allowance) they were being paid at the time of their retirement, in accordance with state public administrations circular 9/2007 issued by the National Salaries and Cadres Commission. If not, they were to be paid Rs. 10,000 as an allowance from the salary they earned while in the military.
The Auditor General’s Department has also revealed that these officers are being paid an allowance of Rs. 14,250 contrary to the recommendations made by the National Salaries and Cadres Commission and that approval has not been sought from the Department of Management Services to increase the number of employees.
Though 115 employees were to be recruited in line with the cabinet decision, the railways department had recruited 120. The cabinet decision had also stated that these personnel should be ex-servicemen who were proficient in handling firearms and other security training, the Auditor General’s Department reveals that only three of these ex-servicemen are drawing a pension, and that it has been unable to verify as to what basis the other officers had retired.
Though the public administration circular 9/2007 states that retired servicemen can only be recruited on a one year contract, these ex-servicemen have been recruited for a period of 3 years.
The Auditor General’s Department also says that 16 of these recruits did not produce their police reports, 3 had failed to produce their educational certificates, 4 had failed to produce grama niladhari certificates and 1 had failed to produce the certificate showing that he had legally been discharged from the Army.
By Manjula Pradeep Weerasuriya
Source: Lakbima
