Empty promises: NADRA employees threaten to go on strike

Assurances given to delegation after strike call in March were mere words, claims union.

KARACHI: With promises of twice-yearly bonuses for the employees of the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) proving to be hollow, the All Pakistan Nadra Employees' Union (APNEU) held a protest outside Karachi Press Club on Thursday, threatening to go on strike from June 17.

The union had threatened to shut down all of the NADRA offices in the country and march to the authority's headquarters in Islamabad in March, APNEU general secretary Salman Zuberi told The Express Tribune. As a result, he claimed, NADRA chief Usman Mobin had given them assurances that their demands of twice-yearly bonuses, proper grading and service structure and a medical panel would be met. "We were promised two bonuses every year," he said, adding that Mobin had assured their delegation that NADRA's yearly profits would be divided among its employees in the form of these bonuses.

Zuberi had high hopes from the new chief, who had previously served as NADRA's chief technology officer and was well-aware of the issues being faced by the employees. "But he failed to deliver."

He explained that Mobin had also approved medical insurance for all the employees, promising the delegation that a notification would be issued within 15 days for the medical provision for the employees, which would include top medical facilities on the panel. This, too, turned out to be a false hope, he added.

According to Zuberi, the incentives for NADRA projects such as the arms licence verification campaign, the SIM verification project and the Benazir Income Support Programme were never equally disbursed among the employees either. "Some employees receive Rs50,000 for these projects while others get nothing at all, he lamented.

Zuberi also highlighted the employees' complaint about the lack of merit or protocol for promotions. He said that a central committee and four provincial committees were formed to address their issues. "Unfortunately, the committee in Sindh is devoid of local representation and NADRA Sindh director-general Mahmood Iqbal, who heads the committee, has never even called a meeting for it."

When contacted, Iqbal refused to comment while Mobin did not respond.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 30^th, 2015.