Employees protest against delayed salaries

Payment yet to be made despite deadline lapse

HARIPUR:

Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA) officials staged a protest at the TMA office against the non-payment of salaries for the last three months.

The protesters said that the previous deadline of Eidul Fitr has also passed and now there is starvation in their houses as their kitchens have nothing to cook. Non-payment of salaries has made it difficult to perform their duties, they added.

A delegation of Awami Forum headed by President Maqbool Hussain Advocate had a meeting with deputy commissioner Haripur during the holy month of Ramazan in which Haripur deputy commissioner had assured to ensure the provision of salaries before Eidul Fitr but so far they have not received it yet.

During the protest, the employees took a stance that Tehsil Municipal Corporation Haripur (TMC) has been generating more revenue than the rest of the departments in the province but the institution does not have money to pay their employees their salaries. They have made a plea to the Minister for Local Government and Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to take notice of the issue.

When contacted, TMA officials said the protesting employees included daily wagers and contract employees and the provincial officials have been informed about the issue of withholding salary. They are trying to ensure early payment of salaries, they added.

According to the Awami Forum Labour Committee member Chan Zeb Khan Musharraf Hazaravi a formal written request has been made to the Deputy Commissioner on this serious situation.

Factory worker dies

Meanwhile, an employee of a carpet factory, Muhammad Shoaib, died after falling from an elevator on Monday. Police said that the deceased was at work when the accident took place. The body was shifted to Haripur Trauma Centre and later it was handed over to the family after completing legal and medical formalities.

Police have registered a preliminary report starting a further investigation. This was at the second incident in the last month.

Several factory workers have been injured and killed on the job due to the Labour Department’s negligence. However, no action has been taken against those who are accountable.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 30^th, 2022.