FAISALABAD: Employees of the city’s sole lab testing Covid-19 samples boycotted their services in the morning shift on Saturday against non-issuance of their salaries for six months.

However, they resumed their work in the evening shift when they were assured by the vice chancellor of the hospital housing the lab, Dr Zafar Chaudhry, that their issues would be settled within a week.

The lab is dealing with samples of Covid-19 patients from Faisalabad, Jhang, Chiniot, Toba Tek Singh and adjoining districts.

The Young Doctors Association (YDA) condemned the administration and announced a protest from Monday if the employees’ salaries were not issued and their contracts renewed.

The YDA Faisalabad chapter chairman, Dr Aurangzeb, said that salaries of 18 lab technologists had not been paid for six month.

Some of the suffering employees said they had been performing their duties with difficulties as the hospital staff considered them aliens. They said they would go on a strike again after a week if the VC did not honour his words.

This was the second time they had to protest only to get their rights, they stressed.

A hospital official told Dawn that the lab technologists accompanied by the YDA Faisalabad office-bearers had met Faisalabad Medical University Vice Chancellor Dr Zafar Chaudhry and apprised him of the entire situation.

The VC asked them to resume their work as he would ensure issuance of their salaries along with renewal of their contracts, the official added.

Published in Dawn, May 2nd, 2021