KARAK/SWABI: Teachers of Banda Daud Shah tehsil have complained about denial of salary before Eidul Fitr despite the government orders.

All Primary Teachers Association president Javed Iqbal Khattak told reporters here on Saturday that hundreds of primary schoolteachers of the tehsil had accounts in the National Bank of Pakistan branch of Lachi but the salary had so far not been transferred to their accounts due to some problem in the banking system.

He said like other government employees, teachers direly needed money to go shopping for Eid, so the situation had stressed them out.

Khattak said teachers visited the bank several times, but to no avail.

He demanded that the education department and the National Bank of Pakistan step in to ease the teachers’ misery.

He also warned teachers would agitate if they’re not paid salary before Eid.

They say they’ll have to borrow money for shopping

In Swabi, too, hundreds of the Gadoon Amazai Industrial Estate workers, mostly daily wagers, have complained about non-payment of salary before Eid and said the situation had dampened their spirits for the imminent festival.

They insisted their repeated requests to their respective managements for early payment of salary had fallen on deaf ears.

A textile mills worker said like colleagues, he thought the management would pay him the July salary before Eid to help them and their families celebrate the festival, but he turned out to be wrong.

He said the management had told workers in plain words that they would get salary next month as usual.

“We, all workers, are very frustrated,” he said.

Another worker said denial of salary before Eid had stressed him out as he was to go shopping with wife and small children. Most workers insisted they would borrow money from friends or relatives for Eid shopping.

They complained about poor enforcement of labour laws and regretted the relevant authorities didn’t bother about their plight.

When contacted, Gadoon Labour Federation general secretary Sher Azam Jadoon said over 30,000 people worked in different units of the estate and non-payment of July salary had spoiled their Eid celebrations.

He said by and large, employers didn’t care for employees, especially workers.

He demanded strict enforcement of labour laws to ease the misery of industrial workers.

Published in Dawn, July 27th, 2014