Over 65 and still toiling away

Survey reveals that 29 out of 30 aged men cannot meet their families' financial requirements despite working hard.

Sadiq, 71, wipes sweat off his forehead as he tries to stand up straight, “I sell plastic bottles and recyclable goods that I scavenge from garbage dumps to make about Rs4,500 a month. Rs3,000 goes towards the treatment of my two sons who met an accident some time ago and suffered limb injuries,” he adds.

Sadiq hopes they will recover and one day take care of him. But it seems that he is quite clear about his immediate priorities. “Right now I just hope to put a meal on the table everyday by selling plastic bottles, defunct batteries and tetra packs.”

In a survey, conducted by this scribe, of 30 men – aged 65 or above and belonging to the low-income group – in Model Town and Defence, 29 said that though they have been working for years they were unable, still, to meet their families’ financial requirements.

Unlike Sadiq, who still hopes that his sons will one day take care of him, 20 of the 30 people interviewed said that they had no expectations of their children.

The streets and residents of Krishan Nagar are familiar with a homeless couple above 70: Sameera and Muhammad Sharif. “We have four sons, not one of them willing to keep us,” says Sharif. Sameera adds, “We were compelled to leave home.”  Her only belongings are two pairs of worn-out cotton shalwar kameez, a sweater each and a patched rug to sleep on.

At 66, Ghulam Fareed is still working as a gardener in Model Town and Garden Town. Also a CDGL employee, he spends his weekends sweeping Ferozepur Road. “By the end of the day, my back aches. But I have two daughters and a wife to support,” Fareed says by way of explaining as his reason to work a seven-day week.

Sanitary workers and gardeners employed by the city district government complained that though the minimum wage set by the government was Rs7,000, they were paid Rs4,500 and in some cases even less. Only those employed by commercial banks said that they were getting the legal minimum wage.

Employed as a gardener at a park in DHA’s P Block, Muhammad Ashraf, 71, says that his employers promised to raise his salary seven years ago, but withdrew the offer after he fell and suffered a back injury. “I was confined to the bed for a year,” he recalls. Ashraf still works for Rs4,000 a month.

The Social Security Department refused to answer queries about senior citizens having to work full time.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 1^st, 2010.