Cash-strapped: PBC employees lose hope for stuck-up salaries

Hundreds of daily wage workers and contractual employees have not been paid for four months

ISLAMABAD: Salaries of hundreds of daily wage workers and contractual employees working at the current affairs department of the Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) have not been paid for the last four months after the government slashed 30 to 40% budget of the department.

The cold response from the government towards the issue has not only affected the daily wage workers but also the PBC administration which is now facing immense challenges to run the current affairs transmission effectively.



PBC employees have raised the issue several times but their woes remained unheard by the government, after which some of them including translators, analysts and anchors decided to quit.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, an official privy to the development said that the total quarterly budget of the current affairs department has been reduced from Rs3.5 million to Rs1.8 million, adding that the move came due to the shortage of funds.

“These people are like a backbone of the current affairs department and now, without them, it has become difficult to run the transmission effectively,” he said, adding it is difficult to find people who can translate news in all regional languages professionally and share expert views on air.



However, due to non-payment of salaries, several employees staged protest demonstrations, but to no avail, he said.

“They are badly discouraged and are reluctant to work now,” he added.

The official said that the employees, through various platforms, tried to contact Minister of State for Information, Broadcasting and Heritage Marriyum Aurangzeb, but due to her busy schedule she was unable to pay heed to the issue.

Meanwhile The Express Tribune tried to contact the state minister several times, but she did not respond.