Peshawar [Pakistan], December 28 (ANI): Employees working with COMNet, an organisation involved in social mobilisation to address polio vaccination refusals in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, have raised serious objections to a newly introduced recruitment policy, alleging that it unfairly excludes experienced local staff from applying for freshly advertised positions, Dawn reported.

According to Dawn, the affected workers said the revised criteria have effectively shut the door to their reappointment despite years of field experience in high-risk, hard-to-reach areas.

Nearly 30 COMNet employees, mostly serving in southern districts as advocacy communication officers (ACOs), communication response team officers (CRTOs) and community communication officers (CCOs), have termed the new 'restructuring policy' discriminatory and an encroachment on their recruitment rights.

The employees further claimed that COMNet Pakistan had reportedly been sold to CTG, an Afghanistan-based organisation, alleging that several experienced Pakistani professionals and development organisations were overlooked in the process.

They said this development has triggered widespread concern over compliance with national laws, donor standards and UNICEF's internal procurement and human resource policies.

Sources told Dawn that the situation escalated after recent advertisements for ACOs, CRTOs, CCOs and other positions appeared on CTG's recruitment portal.

The advertisements reportedly included conditions restricting eligibility to UNICEF Pakistan employees and only those candidates who had received or would receive a 'unique candidate code' via email.

Employees currently working in these roles, as well as those whose contracts have expired, described these conditions as discriminatory, arguing that they exclude qualified Pakistani professionals from competing for the posts.

They maintained that applying for these positions was a legal right of all candidates who met the required qualifications and experience in the 'hardest areas'.

The employees also demanded clarity on the UNICEF human resources rules or policies under which such recruitment restrictions were imposed on individuals already holding these positions.

They questioned the transparency of the criteria and mechanism used to issue 'unique candidate codes'.

They asked when, where and how CTG conducted any assessment or survey to identify candidates for these codes, and on whose approval the organisation was implementing what they described as 'questionable' recruitment practices in Pakistan, Dawn reported.

The affected staff said they reserved the right to initiate legal proceedings under Article 199 of the Constitution against CTG and UNICEF for the 'unlawful restriction on open applications'.

They also demanded a free, fair and transparent inquiry into the recruitment process launched by UNICEF through CTG.

Warning of serious repercussions, the employees said failure to address their concerns could lead to boycotts of polio campaigns in the province.

They insisted it was illegal, discriminatory and non-transparent to realign the COMNet programme under UNICEF Pakistan in the manner alleged.

The employees said the issue had been formally raised with the officer for Internal Audit and Investigations at UNICEF headquarters, as well as the prime minister's focal person for polio eradication, the National Emergency Operation Centre (Polio), and provincial emergency operation centre coordinators for intervention.

Senior UNICEF officials did not respond to requests for comment, Dawn reported. (ANI)