Accountable: Sanitation workers’ salaries withheld for absenteeism

‘The workers had been issued notices but they had not paid heed’

MULTAN: Rs5 million, which had been issued as October’s salaries for sanitation workers of the Solid Waste Management Company, has been deposited back into the national exchequer by DCO Zahid Saleem Gondal. The DCO was told that the recipients of the salary had been absent from work or were fired earlier. 

Gondal has instructed the Solid Waste Management Company’s management to conduct an investigation into the company’s ‘ghost’ employees.

Solid Waste Management Company Ahmad Shehriyar Managing Director said Rs5 million had been released as salaries of workers who had been absent or terminated. The salaries were not given to the workers and have been deposited in the national exchequer, he said.

Shehriyar explained that the employees had not shown up for work even though they had been issued several show cause notices and warnings. The company began the process of terminating “ghost” workers long ago, he said.

He said the chief secretary had ordered them to ensure presence of staff and that the workers would have to display their national identity cards to mark their presence. He said they would be given their salary after verification of their national identity card.

He said a system of attendance had been introduced to check the presence of workers.

Solid Waste Management teams would also conduct surprise checks to ensure presence of workers in the field.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 13^th, 2015.