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Riaz Malik
ISLAMABAD: A routine administrative exercise at the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to compile data on vacant posts has triggered unease among employees, who fear it may signal broader restructuring in the offing.
The CDA currently has over 19,000 approved posts across various grades, of which nearly 7,500 remain unfilled. According to officials, the ongoing exercise is intended to assess the authority’s current staffing requirements, improve operational efficiency, and align human resource planning with the federal government’s broader rightsizing policy framework.
However, among employees, the initiative has been interpreted quite differently. Labour representatives argue that the mapping of vacant posts is not a neutral administrative step but an early indicator that long-standing vacancies may be abolished rather than filled, effectively shrinking the organisation’s permanent workforce.
The concern is amplified by recent developments within the CDA, including the outsourcing of key service areas such as sanitation and parts of the hospital system, as well as delays in recruitment processes and promotions. Employees point out that a batch of 191 posts tested through a competitive process remains unresolved, while promotions from BPS-19 to BPS-20 have been pending for nearly two years.
Union leaders say these factors have created an environment of uncertainty where even procedural steps are viewed through the lens of potential downsizing. They argue that any decision affecting sanctioned strength must be taken in consultation with workers’ representatives under existing labour laws and industrial relations frameworks.
The CDA administration, meanwhile, insists that the exercise is purely routine. Officials maintain that the data collection is meant to identify redundant or dormant posts and ensure that staffing aligns with actual workload requirements, rather than to initiate any sweeping job cuts.
What the administration describes as technical rationalisation, staff increasingly views as a structural shift in the organisation’s employment landscape—turning a routine HR audit into a flashpoint of labour concern.
