ISLAMABAD: Former president Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday called for the urgent release of blocked salaries forKhyberPakhtunkhwa Workers Welfare Board employees as well as the regularisation of their services. In case of failure, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) would wage a “tough political and legal battle” in support of the workers.
During his visit to Peshawar and separate meetings with employees of the Workers Welfare Board and the clerks, the former president was “appalled to witness firsthand the plight of workers in the province”, according to a statement.
Senator Farhatullah Babar said that on the conclusion of Zardari’s five-day visit to Peshawar, former provincial labour minister Sher Azam Wazir was summoned to Islamabad to discuss labourers’ issues and the legal and political measures taken to address them.
The former labour minister gave a detailed briefing on the processes initiated by the previous government for the workers’ welfare and its reversal by the PTI government, he said.
The first PPP government had set up workers welfare boards in every province to provide subsidised education, health and residential facilities to the children of factory workers and daily wagers at the federal government’s expense.
As many as 48 educational institutions in different districts were lying moribund, their employees sacked and their salaries blocked. Neither had the federal government provided funds after devolution nor had the proponents of the’so-called Naya Pakistan’ woken up to their responsibilities towards the children of the working classes, the former president was informed.
The previous government had, in February 2011, ordered the regularisation of the employees of the Workers Welfare Board. However, instead of regularising, the provincial government stopped their salaries. For the past six years, the workers had been running from pillar to post and holding demonstrations, even in front of Imran Khan’s Bani Gala residence, but to no avail.
He said that the issues of labourers and workers were that of human rights and of concern to the whole nation, particularly to the PPP.
The spokesperson quoted the former president as saying, “The party will not remain silent over the humiliation of workers. Robbing the poor to enrich the privileged may be the ‘change’ envisaged by the self-styled champions of ‘Naya Pakistan’. The PPP cannot, indeed will not, allow it. Let there be no doubt or mistake about it.”
A small fraction of the tens of billions on building showcase projects is enough to reopen the moribund educational institutions for children of workers, he stated. “But the federal government will not do it because it offers little by way of kickbacks and commissions.” The former president directed that a senior party lawyer be engaged to fight pro bono the workers’ case for service regularisation and release of salaries.
Zardari also asked the party lawmakers to join the protest demonstration of the KP clerks in front of Parliament House on May 25th against the non-implementation of the 2010 decision regarding their pays and pensions, Farhatullah Babar said.
