Railways’ employees not paid for a month

Railway Colony quarters to be demolished.

FAISALABAD: Grade one to seven employees of Pakistan Railways (PR) have not been paid for one month and have also been notified that residential quarters of Railway Colony will be demolished, office-bearers of Pakistan Railways Employees Union Faisalabad said.

Prem Railway Union Faisalabad Vice President Muhammad Anwar, while speaking at a press conference on Monday, said that the railway administration was not paying salary to the employees.

He said that the administration was deducting gas charges from employees’ salaries but not depositing them with the gas company, due to which Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) had issued notices, threatening to cut gas connections of railway colonies.

Union’s Divisional President Khalid Mahmood said that the administration had also issued a notice, saying quarters in the Railway Colony would be demolished.

He said that 70 per cent engine and power plants of the railways have become useless due to wrong policies of relevant authorities.

Anwar said that railway employees have decided to go on a strike if the government did not take serious notice of these issues by the end of this month. He added that the employees will not only go on strike but will also close railway gates across the country and block railway services.

Financial crisis at the railways is deepening with every passing day as the organisation has no funds for repairing locomotives and buying fuel. Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani had announced a Rs11 billion bailout package, but the amount could not be released.

Employees have appealed to the chief justice of Pakistan to take suo motu action to save jobs of 76,000 employees.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 20^th,  2011.