KARACHI, Sept 28: Nearly 280 newly-appointed employees of the Fishermen Cooperative Society have not been paid salaries for the last 12 months.

The FCS had appointed 450 employees, including officials in grade 16 and 17, last year. Later, the list was trimmed down to 280, citing overstaffing and budgetary constraints of the Society as reasons.

Services of these employees were confirmed by a scrutiny committee, and most of them had been performing their duties for the past 12 months with out salaries.

An affected employee said that he along with other workers had been suffering mental agony for the last one year, and were striving to get their salary bill cleared, but the authorities concerned did not pay any heed to their grievances.

Source said the FCS had been facing serious financial crisis due to mismanagement, and presently it's administration was being run by acting chairman.

The elections for the 15-member Board of Directors of the Society were held in August this year, but the Board meeting was yet to be held for electing a new chairman and vice-chairman, which is mandatory according to the Society by-laws.

The inordinate delay in holding of the Board meeting was causing confusion and uncertainty among the fishermen, who had been facing difficulties in their day-to-day working.