USC employees threaten strike from next week

Action committee demands 75% pay rise, regularisation of contract employees

ISLAMABAD:

A joint action committee comprising representatives of the three registered unions of Unions of Utility Stores Corporation (USC) has threatened to go on strike from March 16 if their demands about pay rise and regularisation of the contractual and daily wage staff and other were not met in 10 days.

The committee presented its charter of demands to the industries Secretary, the USC board chairman and the Managing Director in a protest not. The letter comes just days before the advent of holy month of Ramazan, which is due to start next week.

The committee has demanded of the USC management to increase the salaries of employees by 75% regularising the services of all the employees working on contract and daily wages basis for the past 15 to 20 years.

The letter said the USC employees faced financial difficulties. It added that if the demands were not met in 10 days, the union would be forced to go on a shutter-down strike from March 16.

Utility Stores play a vital role in any government scheme to provide items of daily use, particularly food items, at cheaper rates to the masses, particularly the relief packages for the low income families in the holy month of Ramazan