Non-release of salaries: LG employees stage protest

PESHAWAR: The employees of the Capital Metropolitan Government on Tuesday staged a protest for the release of salaries and pensions.

Led by United Municipal Workers Union Chairman Malik Muhammad Naveed Awan and other office-bearers, the protesters said that they had not yet received their salary while pensioners had also been waiting for their pensions for the last six months.

The protesters said that the institution, which used to generate billions as revenue, was unable to even pay salaries and pensions to its employees due to the mismanagement and corruption of the officials concerned.

They criticised the government for failing to investigate the reasons for the financial crisis in the Capital Metropolitan Government Peshawar.The busy Bacha Khan Chowk remained blocked for traffic for more than an hour due to the protest.

The protesters said that in the third phase of the drive, demonstrations would be held at Provincial Assembly Chowk on October 9. And a sit-in would be staged at Provincial Assembly Chowk for an indefinite period on October 10, they added.

The office-bearers of Mazdoor Ittihad Union, led by Chairman Qaiser Bacha, and the families members of the Fire Brigade employees, who were arrested in Punjab, also joined the protest camp. They appealed to the federal government to release the seven detained employees.

Meanwhile, a delegation of the Local Council Board (LCB) visited the protest camp and assured the employees that their salaries would be released within three days. However, the protesters informed the delegation that the protest would continue till the release of the salaries.