Polyclinic technicians get paid after 10 months

Hope that their arrears for the better part of the year are cleared soon

ISLAMABAD: With Eidul Fitr just hours away, as many as 67 technicians who had been working at the Federal Government Services Hospital (Polyclinic) without salaries for the past 10 months, have finally been paid.

Salaries of lower grade technicians, who had been working in various departments of Polyclinic, had been halted since they joined their duties.

In April, these technicians had staged a strike over non-payment of their salaries affecting healthcare services at the hospital. The employees, who were mostly hired in grade nine, had been inducted in the hospital after clearing written tests and interviews.



However, the technicians claimed that the hospital’s administration had rejected their appointments since some other employees, who had wanted the jobs but had failed to qualify, had challenged the appointments in court.

However, in August 2016, the Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) issued offer letters, formalising their appointments.

But the technicians, who had subsequently reported for their respective duties, were never paid. In January 2017, the court directed the ministry to pay these employees.

“We are all so happy,” said Javed Iqbal, one of the technicians who had been working without any pay at the hospital for the past 10 months.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 25^th, 2017.