KARACHI - Pakistan Steel Mills employees suffer in miserable circumstance due to lethargic attitude of the authorities reluctant to pay the salaries, The Nation learnt on Monday.
At least 315 contractual employees of PSM are suffering for the last six months.
The confirmation of the contractual employees has been over due while officials claimed that the matter about the future of contract employees is in the hand of Ministry of Industries and Production.
Uncertainty and unclear picture about future create an alarming state of affairs among the employees who have no other sources of income. Junior Officer Fareed Hussain, sole licenced mining supervisor working under Mineral Development Department in Makli Station, died on Sunday night due to severe heart attack.
He left 3 sons, 3 daughters with a widow behind. Deceased had serving PSM for last eight years and deserved to get confirmation status as per laws.. His name was also included in the list of employees sent to Prime Minister for approval and waiting from last 6 months for the extension in his contract period.
Laiq Hussain informed that extreme financial crisis claimed his father’s life as we had been facing even for routine expenses since long and authorities seem reluctant to resolve workers’ salaries issue. He said that PSM management is responsible for his father’s death. Sources privy to the matter revealed that concern authorities have been responsible for such circumstance. Sources said that management chalked out the policy decreased the strength of employees through such kind of tactics, compelling workers to left the job. Source pointed out that Hamid Pervaiz head of A&P Department was responsible for the current circumstances. Hamid Pervaiz declined to comment when The Nation contacted.
Sources said that scores of workers suffer because of the lethargic attitude of the authorities, a worker of PSM on the basis on anonymity revealed The Nation that he joined PSM few years back and served as contract worker till 30th June 2014 and still intact with the organisation without any status and just hope the ministry will resolve the issue very soon.
He further informed that being a PSM employee he suffered by the worst financial losses, owing to the situation his three children sacked from the school while he haven’t enough money to run his kitchen on daily basis. The existing management continuously taken those steps that badly hampered the workers intention and they left their jobs due to crisis being faced by the employees.
On the other side PSM spokesman Shazim Akhtar informed that contract employees issue still in Ministry of Industries and management is still waiting for the decision. For the time being management is dealing with those workers as a daily wages employees as per SOP. Shazim said contractual employees still are the need of PSM and we treat them on priority basis.
An industrial law expert explained there is no law to hire or convert the officer as daily wages and this act which acclaimed by the spokesman was done without any approval of relevant ministry and Board of Directors.
Ministry of Industries and Production (MoI&P) seeks Prime Minister’s permission to extend the contract of Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) contractual employees for one year, on the plea that its 2,669 permanent employees will retire in coming 2-3 years.
The numbers of employees attaining the age of superannuation in 2014-15 equals to 609 officers and 1193 workers.