Metro Bus employees get salaries after protest

Management pays two months dues, gives assurance of releasing remaining amount

RAWALPINDI:

Following the maxim that the squeaky wheel gets the oil, the Metro Bus employees again suspended the red bus service and staged a protest to make the management pay their overdue salaries.

The ticket-booth employees of Metro Bus Service (MBS) on Monday ended their eight-hour long protest after the Metro Bus Authority (MBA) released their two-month pay and gave assurance of paying the overdue salary of the third month before December 28.

MBS, which carries almost 135,000 people daily between the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, was suspended for eight hours as drivers parked the red buses on tracks in solidarity with the protesting ticketing staff.

The ticket vendors had staged a protest outside the IJP Road metro bus station and chanted slogans against the MBA management. The workers said that they had staged a sit-in for the disbursement of outstanding salaries last month.

As a result, the officials had assured them of payment of salaries, but the promise was not kept.

On November 28, employees of the bus service plying between the twin cities called off a 48-hour strike after their demands for payment of wages were met.

The demands included release of four moths unpaid salaries in one go, future payment of salaries on fixed date, reimbursement of 15% salary deducted during lockdown and that the management will take no action against the protesting employees.

The protesters said that the metro bus management had forced them to stage a demonstration again.

Further, the metro bus management has assured the employees that their third salary would be paid in the last week of December.

After the assurance, the protesters dispersed peacefully and resumed duties at ticket booths.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 8^th, 2020.