Sanitary staff threatens to go on indefinite strike from Saturday

Rawalpindi

The residents of city should be ready to face foul smell everywhere as sanitation staff is going to observe strike from Saturday for an indefinite period against non-payment of pensions, gratuity and other benefits for 2 years.

The sanitation staff strongly protested against city district government and Municipal Corporation because Easter of Christian community will be celebrated on April 16 but the local administration does not seem ready to pay funds to sanitation staff. Some of (Old and Sick) retired sanitation workers (Men and Women) are begging on roads to run their kitchen but concerned authority seeing the whole drama with closed eyes.

More than 2,000 pensioners of Municipal Corporation and District Council and Rawalpindi Waste Management Company (RWMC) have decided to lock down Rawalpindi city on Saturday. “Neither city district government nor Municipal Corporation is considering the serious issue of pensioners resulting we are wandering here and there for ‘roti’,” old pensioners told ‘The News’ here on Wednesday.

Municipal Workers League (MWL) City District Government Chairman Changez Bhatti, President Haji Muhammad Farooq, Senior Vice-President Malik Muhammad Shafiq and General Secretary Younas Gori told ‘The News’ more than 2,000 retired sanitation workers are facing problems in their homes for a long time but nobody is taking this matter seriously. “Mayor Sardar Naseem has assured to pay all dues within a week. If government does not pay all dues till Friday, sanitation workers will go on strike from Saturday,” they warned.

The representatives also said that Rawalpindi Mayor Sardar Naseem some days back promised us to pay all dues within a week. Only two days are left of his promise after two days we will go on strike, they warned.

Last time (three months ago) when a large number of sanitation staff locked down Rawalpindi city deputy commissioner (DC), Rawalpindi Talat Gondal in negotiations assured to pay all dues of pensioners at that time. The protesters went back on the assurance of DC at that time. At that time, the higher authorities promised to settle down all issues within 10 days but pensioners are still deprived off pension even after a long time, the representatives said. At that time, the city district government, Rawalpindi requested pensioners to cancel their protest demonstration because higher authorities will settle their matters. But, this promise was not fulfilled by the city district government, Rawalpindi as they are yet to get pensions.

“Helpless old pensioners are leading a hard life, as government has not paid them pension and other benefits for 2 years. The sanitation workers will never lift garbage and other waste material from city on Saturday,” Sajid Masih said. He said that some of our pensioners are begging to run their kitchen but higher authorities sis watching the whole drama with closed eyes, he denounced.

“We will come on roads with families if higher authorities does not pay us dues,” Nighat Parveen, a pensioner said. Another pensioner, Nasir William, said that government has spent all money in fruitless works. They never know that poor people are dying of poverty with each passing day and deprived of pensions for a long time, he denounced. “We appeal to Chief Justice of Pakistan for taking suo moto action against it because our children are suffering of hunger for a long time,” he appealed.

It is worth mentioning here that a large number of pensioners from the Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation and the District Council were on hunger strike against non-payment of pensions. Protesters, including women, had set up a camp near Liaquat Bagh on Murree Road. But, nobody took notice of it and pensioners are still deprived off pensions and other benefits.