TAXILA: Scores of workers of Islamabad Electric Supply Company (Iesco) of Jand sub-division on Tuesday protested against the National Bank for what they said deliberately delaying disbursement of salaries, though their salaries have been credited in their accounts.

The Iesco employees led by local leader of Wapda Hydro Power Labor Union Lala Ehsan took out protest rallies from their respective office and staged sit in outside the state owned bank. They demanded of the State Bank governor and Banking Mohtasib to take action against the bank staff.

Talking to newsmen, Lala Ehsan said the bank staff was used to delay crediting their salaries in their respective accounts every month on different pretexts. When they visit the bank every month to draw their salaries they are asked the bank has not received their salaries either due to poor link or delay in arrival of invoices from the State Bank, Mr Ehsan said.

He said Iesco staff working in other circles of the district Attock like Pindigheb, Fatehjang and Hazro withdraws their salaries on the first of each month.

When contacted by phone, the operation manager of the bank has claimed that the system of the bank is down due to pressure as all government employees’ salary is being credited and disbursed trough the bank.

He said the bank would ensure that the salaries are disbursed to employees later in the day but the employees did not get their salaries till the filing of this report.

On the other hand, employees of a private sanitation company staged protests demonstration outside Tehsil Headquarters Hospital (THQ) Hassanabdal for denial of their wages by the company staff for the last seven months.

The staff, mostly sweepers, while talking to newsmen said that they had signed a two-year working agreement with another private company.

They said the company did not pay them salary for two months and later their services were transferred to another company but the same company had also failed to pay their wages for the last five months thus their wages are not being paid for the last seven months.

The protesting employees have threatened to suspend janitorial services in the hospital if they were not paid their outstanding wages during the next three days.

The affected employees have called upon deputy commissioner Attock and Punjab minister for health Dr Jamal Nasir to help them to get rid of the financial crunch.

When contacted, medical superintendent Tehsil Headquarters Hospital Dr Shaukat Mehmood said the protesters are not employees of the health department rather of a private company which was awarded contract by the Punjab health department.

When contacted, the manager of the company said as the new financial year has begun, they have not received funds from the Punjab government. He said that as soon as necessary funds are received, the funds would be transferred to the company respective tehsils across the province for disbursement of wages to the employees as per their attendance.

Published in Dawn, Aug 2nd, 2023