More than 54,000 employees and pensioners of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) are yet to receive their salary and pension of the last two months, despite the order of Sindh High Court (SHC) to clear their dues within 10 days, said KMC Karachi Sajjan Union (CBA) President Syed Zulfiqar Shah.
He said neither the provincial government nor the KMC administration have shown interest to resolve the issue of outstanding salaries and pensions of KMC employees, resulting in serious problems for thousands of families. He said that apart from withholding salaries and pensions, the KMC had also denied to provide fire risk allowance, retired employees fund, leave encashment, gratuity, group insurance and other dues of the employees had also not been paid.
Furthemore, he said that since the year 1998 the government was not enhancing OZT grants, while pensions and salaries have been enhanced from 1998 until up to the current year by up to 300percent. He said the KMC needed additional funds of Rs30million every year just to give annual increments to its employees; however, the provincial government was not paying heed to resolve its financial problems.
Moreover, he said that due to non-payment of salaries, KMC employees could not feed their families, their children were being thrown out of schools due to non-payment of fees and their gas and electricity connections were being cut for not paying utility bills. He added that if the government failed to pay outstanding salaries, pensions and dues to the employees on emergency basis they would have no choice but to take to the streets and the government would be responsible for the consequences that would follow.
