Delay in salaries Sanitary workers refuse to work

The cleanliness situation of the City is worsening as thousands of sanitary workers of Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) have refused to work, saying that so far they have not gotten their salaries in the current month, The News has learnt.

Sources in LWMC revealed the salary of over 6,500 sanitary workers who were in the slab of lowest salary of Rs 15,000 had not been released so far, whereas, the top management and all managerial cadres of LWMC whose salary was in five and six digits had gotten their salaries even before the start of the current month.

The PTI government dream to clean the City in an effective manner will be hurt badly if the situation remained the same. Senior Minister Abdul Aleem Khan, who gave a three-day deadline to the LWMC MD and general manager (Operations) for improving the cleanliness situation of the City, was also seemed helpless to achieve the target of Clean and Green City.

The poor sanitary workers deputed in 27 zones in 274 union councils across the City always had always been always on the top when it comes to delaying in salaries. Sources revealed that hundreds of workers lodged complaints as well as contacted their managers for release of salary while many refused to work until the company releases their salaries.

Jamal Masih, one of the poor sanitary workers who are without salary, said that he was very upset over the situation as he had to beg for money to run day to day affairs. “I have to feed my six small kids but I didn’t have any money this month,” he maintained.

A female sanitary worker said that she could not cook at home. She said her electricity supply was disconnected as she had not paid the bill due to delay in release of her salary. “We have to reach our duty at 5 in the morning, we work all day and in the end what we get?” she questioned.

Fifty-two-year old Irshad Ahmed, who is also one of the workers who have not gotten the salary, said that the new government should take serious action of the delay in payment of salaries to the workers. He questioned why the officers get their salaries before the start of the month and small and poor workers get their salaries after second or third week of every month?

LWMC Acting Managing Director Farrukh Butt said that he was aware of the issue.

However, he contradicted the number of the workers who didn’t get the salary and said they were in hundreds only. He said the company had cleared the bill of the Turkish contractors and workers would get their salary on the coming Monday.