DUSHANBE, July 18, 2009, Asia-Plus — Open joint-stock (OJSC) Tojiktelecom (Tajikistan’s fixed-line telecommunications network) is purging unprofessional personnel from its ranks, Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications also Chairman of Tojiktelecom’s Board of Directors, Beg Zuhurov, remake data press conference in Dushanbe on July 16.
According to him, some 4,000 people now work with Tojiktelecom and “some 60 percent of them are unprofessional personnel – philologists, lawyers, economists, etc.” “A staff of 1,000 is enough to ensure regular work of the network,” Zuhurov said.
During the press service, it was also noted that Tojiktelecom plans to increase wage rates in the coming six months, bringing an average monthly wage to US$400.
According to Zuhurov, Tojiktelecom has reduced transportation and other expenses. “Earlier, some 10,000 US dollars had been provided a year for transportation and other expenses,” said the deputy minister, “Now officials at Tojiktelecom are using bicycles instead of their business cars; all employees with district branches of Tojiktelecom have been provided with bicycle costing $100 each.”
Asked whether he himself uses bicycle, Zuhurov answered in the negative, pleading bad leg.
We will recall that Zuhurov stated on March 20 this year that officials at the Ministry of Transport and Communications are expected to start using bicycles instead of their business cars as of April 1. He said that the measure is very serious and its major goal is to save money. According Zuhurov, some officials at the ministry, including him, have been using bicycles from time to time already.
