Metro staff demanding salaries suspend service for eight hours

RAWALPINDI:

The metro bus services remained suspended for eight hours due to a strike of its employees against non-payment of salaries for the past three months.

The closure of the service caused immense difficulties to the passengers and commuters in the twin cities. The employees staged a protest at IGP Road station on Monday over non-payment of salaries. A large number of protesting employees were present on the metro bus track, which resulted in the suspension of the metro bus service in the twin cities since morning.

Passengers were severely troubled as employees had also shut down the ticketing office. The demonstrators maintained that they had to spent their Eid without pay.

They complained that more than 200 employees who had been demanding salaries had been fired. They warned of the continuation of the strike until the sacked employees were reinstated and their salaries were paid.

On the other hand, the Metro Bus management claimed that salary cheques had been sent to the Punjab government but were not cleared by the relevant department. It further said that negotiations with the employees had been successful and after eight hours, the metro bus service had been restored.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 25^th, 2021.