SBP employees to get their jobs, dues back after court order

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) has dismissed the petition filed by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) seeking the dismissal of 10 employees and has ordered the SBP to make all 10 employees permanent and pay them all their dues.

Justice Abid Hussain of the Lahore High Court pronounced the detailed eight-page written verdict.

The LHC upheld the judgments of the Labour Court and the NIRC and quashed the SBP order of verbal dismissal of the employees.

The High Court directed the bank management to immediately make all 10 employees permanent and pay them all their past dues.

In the written judgment, the court laid down important legal principles regarding employment. It held that an employee who works continuously for more than nine months is legally entitled to permanent employment.

The court declared the artificial breaks in service, introduced by the SBP to prevent employees from becoming permanent, as illegal, terming them an attempt to violate the rights of the employees.

The High Court made it clear that the internal rules of the SBP cannot unlawfully override or eliminate the basic rights of any employee.

The court observed that it was an unlawful attempt to deprive the employees of the benefits associated with permanent employment.