Private employees forced to work on Eid without bonuses

LAHORE: Thousands of workers of private companies sacrifice their joy of celebrating Eidul Azha for the sake of their jobs without getting any bonus and compensation in return, Pakistan Today has learnt.
People working at bakeries, hotels, restaurants, petrol pumps and playlands have expressed their concerns over the inhuman attitude of their employees who forced them to work on festive occasions by openly violating labour laws.
Most of these workers belong to areas outside Lahore due to which they could not meet their relatives and friends on Eid.
Gourmet Restaurant Area Manager Sohail Mirza refused to comment on the issue saying that his organisation had not allowed him to reveal the policies of the company.
According to Article 49-I (2) of the Factories Act 1934, “A worker may be required to work on any festival holiday but one day’s additional compensatory holiday with full pay and a substitute holiday shall be allowed to him in accordance with the provisions of Section 35.” Bakery workers said that they merely get a weekly off and getting a sick leave was a mammoth task as well.
They said that their work load increased during festivals such as Eid, which added to their miseries. The workers said that most of them did not even know the labour laws, which was quite a pity and they wanted the media to highlight their plight and spread awareness amongst workers in this regard.
Waiters and other restaurant workers also complained about their employers and said that their management always promised to give them Eid bonus, but most of the time the promise was never fulfilled. They said that they could not argue with their management, as there was a lot of unemployment in the country.
Reports of receiving high tips from customers on Eid were not true, as people refused to pay more on festivities due to their decreasing purchasing powers, the waiters said. They also demanded respect from the public and said that working away from their homes on Eid was never an easy task.
An employee of a renowned hotel and restaurant, Park Plaza, told Pakistan Today that their organisation paid salary of 30 days and they had every right to take extra work from them.
She said that their company paid salaries on time and their employees had never complained about anything. Syed Amir, working at a petrol pump in Muslim Town, told Pakistan Today, “We get some Eidi, but neither a compensatory holiday is granted to us nor a bonus is provided for working on Eid.
It’s quite difficult to serve people who are well dressed and going to meet their relatives, while we cannot even share our miseries with others”. He said that government employees easily get compensation and bonuses but there was no such trend for private sector workers.