MANY companies dismiss the issue of delayed salaries as a routine matter, but the reality for employees is far more serious and ugly. When salaries are consistently paid 15 days late every month, workers are in effect being paid one month’s salary only after rendering 45 days of service.

Employees start work on the first of the month and complete 30 days of labour by month-end. Instead of receiving payment then, they must continue working another 15 days into the next month before the preceding month’s salary arrives. In practical terms, they have already given 45 days of their time, energy and product-

ivity, but receive compensation for only 30 days at that point.

If this becomes a permanent system, the burden always remains on the workers. Employers continue benefiting from the labour already performed, while employees carry the strain of unpaid extra days, delayed bills, borrowing expenses and financial uncertainty.

This is not merely a payroll delay; this is an interest-free use of workers’ labour and time. No company should normalise a structure where staff must keep working beyond a month before seeing payment for the month already completed. Timely payment of salaries is not generosity.

It is the minimum standard of fairness.

Awais Raza Memon
Karachi

Published in Dawn, May 1st, 2026