Payment of outstanding dues to pensioners within a week ordered

Rawalpindi : Municipal Corporation Rawalpindi (MCR) Chief Officer Syed Shafqat Raza has ordered payment of outstanding pension dues to all retired employees within a week and also removed an official from the MCR Pension Branch for creating hurdles in the way of retired employees.

The decision to this effect was taken after the retired employees of Municipal Corporation Rawalpindi (MCR) Wednesday staged a protest against not payment of pension and other dues and removal of Azmat Rasool alleging he was creating difficulties for retired employees.

The sanitation workers stopped all garbage lifting vehicles in front of MCR office and warned to throw garbage on roads if their genuine demands were not accepted. They raised full throated slogans against MCR and demanded resolution of their problems forthwith otherwise they will stop lifting garbage from the city.

Municipal Corporation Rawalpindi (MCR) Chief Officer Syed Shafqat Raza immediately took up the issue and called leaders of protesters for talks. Sanitary Workers Union Chairman Changez Bhatti, President Haji Farooq and General Secretary Younas met the chief officer MCR on the occasion.

On the assurance of Chief Officer, the protesters called off their strike.

The Chief Officer (CO) Municipal Corporation Rawalpindi Syed Shafqat Raza told ‘The News’ that he has ordered all pension related issues of the retired employees should be resolved at the earliest and they should be paid pension and other dues within seven days. I have also replaced, Azmat Rasool, from the pension branch,” he added.

He said that it was his first priority to pay pension to retired employees. “I will never spare delaying tactics in pension cases,” he claimed.

The Sanitary Workers Union Chairman Changez Bhatti, President Haji Farooq and other leaders said that due to non-clearance of pensions to them, the retired employees are failing to meet both ends.