Eid celebration: While some can afford to show off, low-income folks struggle to survive
Daily wagers out of work on holidays are the hardest hit.
ISLAMABAD:
The irony of Eidul Azha couldn’t be more obvious when Zafar Khan said he cannot visit his family in Mardan because he does not have the money. Khan, 40, has worked as a labourer for 15 years. This year, he’s hit upon hard times, which means he and his son, Ihsanullah, will spend Eid in Islamabad away from their loved ones.
There’s no work these days and people don’t even want to pay the minimum wage we deserve, Khan said. “It has become difficult to provide food for our families. Daily wage labourers don’t make more than Rs300 on days they get work.”
Khan’s woes are in sharp contrast to people paying exorbitant prices to buy sacrificial animals. At the Islamabad sacrificial animal market, bulls sold for Rs90,000 on average. Although some people opted for collective sacrifice this year, most people interviewed for this article believe Eidul Azha is getting out of reach of the salaried class and low-income workers.
In Peshawar Mor, another labourer Waheed Khan, also from Mardan, said things have worsened for labourers over the last couple of years, especially due to inflation. The people who use our services are also insensitive to our plight, he said. Waheed Khan said. “They wouldn’t care if we die of hunger.”
In Aabpara market, Riazul Haq, a security guard, said he doesn’t even get a day off on Eid. “There’s a lot of injustice in society. Low-income workers are not treated with respect, even on Eid.” Haq and four other guards who joined the discussion said they had not received any remuneration for Eid. Sometimes they don’t even get salaries on time.
Government employees get advance salaries on Eid and some private companies and organisations follow the practice. An employee at a foreign aid organisation confirmed the agency paid its employees an Eid bonus in addition to one month’s advance salary.
A telecommunications engineer working for a cellular service provider said he was paid in advance for Eid. “This is a good practice, especially when Eid is at the end of the month,” he said, requesting anonymity. “It also shows the company cares for its employees.”
Despite Islam’s teachings about charity and rights of the underprivileged, there isn’t much to celebrate this Eid.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 27th, 2012.
The irony of Eidul Azha couldn’t be more obvious when Zafar Khan said he cannot visit his family in Mardan because he does not have the money. Khan, 40, has worked as a labourer for 15 years. This year, he’s hit upon hard times, which means he and his son, Ihsanullah, will spend Eid in Islamabad away from their loved ones.
There’s no work these days and people don’t even want to pay the minimum wage we deserve, Khan said. “It has become difficult to provide food for our families. Daily wage labourers don’t make more than Rs300 on days they get work.”
Khan’s woes are in sharp contrast to people paying exorbitant prices to buy sacrificial animals. At the Islamabad sacrificial animal market, bulls sold for Rs90,000 on average. Although some people opted for collective sacrifice this year, most people interviewed for this article believe Eidul Azha is getting out of reach of the salaried class and low-income workers.
In Peshawar Mor, another labourer Waheed Khan, also from Mardan, said things have worsened for labourers over the last couple of years, especially due to inflation. The people who use our services are also insensitive to our plight, he said. Waheed Khan said. “They wouldn’t care if we die of hunger.”
In Aabpara market, Riazul Haq, a security guard, said he doesn’t even get a day off on Eid. “There’s a lot of injustice in society. Low-income workers are not treated with respect, even on Eid.” Haq and four other guards who joined the discussion said they had not received any remuneration for Eid. Sometimes they don’t even get salaries on time.
Government employees get advance salaries on Eid and some private companies and organisations follow the practice. An employee at a foreign aid organisation confirmed the agency paid its employees an Eid bonus in addition to one month’s advance salary.
A telecommunications engineer working for a cellular service provider said he was paid in advance for Eid. “This is a good practice, especially when Eid is at the end of the month,” he said, requesting anonymity. “It also shows the company cares for its employees.”
Despite Islam’s teachings about charity and rights of the underprivileged, there isn’t much to celebrate this Eid.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 27th, 2012.