As the law enforcers go after those violating the minimum wage law, it has turned out that the Metro Bus Authority was also guilty of violating the law by paying its employees less than Rs32,000 – the amount set as the minimum wage by the government.
In this regard, the Punjab Labour Welfare Department has taken strict notice after the matter was reported at the Prime Minister’s Portal.
Inbox Business Technologies, which provides human resources to the Metro Bus Authority, has been given a warning to pay Rs32,000 salary to its employees along with arrears by Wednesday or face a fine of up to Rs6.4 million in case it continues to violate the law.
According to the details, out of the 300 employees working in the Metro Bus Service running between the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, at least 256 employees are being paid less than the minimum salary of 32,000 in violation of the minimum wage law.
Read: Crackdown against minimum wage violators
As many as 42 employees are being paid Rs29,000 each while 214 staff members are being paid Rs25,000 each as their monthly remuneration. In fear that their services might be laid off by the employer, the 256 employees are forced to earn less than the minimum salary fixed by the government.
However, an employee reported the matter of payment of remuneration less than the prescribed minimum wage by the Metro Bus Service on the Prime Minister’s Portal, following which the matter was sent to the Punjab Labour Welfare Department.
After the matter was forwarded to the Punjab Labour Welfare Department, Labour Inspector Dr Abdul Shakur visited the human resources department of the Metro Bus Authority, and after examining the records, it was confirmed that the minimum salary being paid to the staff members was less than the prescribed amount. At least 42 employees were being paid Rs29,000 while 214 employees were being paid Rs25,000.
At this, an immediate warning was issued to Inbox Business Technologies that all the employees should be paid according to the fixed minimum wage by Wednesday.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 12th, 2023.
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