Businesses holding back salaries warned
According to Aminullah, their demands included payment of two months outstanding stipend to over 240 house officers, payment of Health Practicing Allowance to all categories of doctors of ATH and 10% increase in salaries which was due from July. PHOTO: ONLINE
The Labour Department issued notices to private businesses as it launched a crackdown against non-payment of pending salaries to workers even after the removal of lockdown restrictions. The department also served notices to private employers paying less than the minimum wage to their employees. The labour department issued notices to hotels, restaurants, fast food centres, wedding halls, large department stores etc on the application of the employees. The workers of several private businesses are in severe financial difficulties due to non-clearance of arrears by employers. Labour Inspector Dr Abdul Shakoor said that the notices were being issued to the businesses which had not paid salaries for months on the pretext of lockdown and also against those that paid less than the minimum wage. There is no justification for not paying salaries to the employees as the situation has normalised now after the lockdown was lifted and everything has become operational, he added. Labor Inspector said that they had adopted a clear policy in this regard, adding that the employers would have to pay what they owed to their workers at all costs.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 18th, 2020.