KARACHI, Aug 11: Academic activities at the educational campuses of the Petro man were marred on Wednesday as employees refused to work further due to what they claimed non-payment of salaries to them for three months.

Sources privy to employees, said that after demonstration, the North Nazimabad campus of Petro man was locked by the employees to pressurise the government for release of salaries to employees, and improvement in the working conditions at other Petro man campuses in Karachi.

Employees said the government was not paying heed to the problems of employees, particularly after shifting of the organization from the Ministry of Industries and Production to the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunications in 2000.

The government was not giving any grant to Petro man, and its staff was being paid only basic salaries from February 2004 without any allowances. Well, it was an irony that payment of even the basic salary had been stopped since May 2004, claimed an employee, saying that employees were faced with the severe financial crisis.

At present about 850 students were enrolled at three educational complexes of Petro man - Hyderi, Baloch Colony and Gulshan-e-Iqbal - where degree and diploma programmes were offered in IT, business administration and other disciplines.

Over 70 employees, reportedly deprived of salary, have now planned to form an action committee for joint struggle. However, the general manager of Petroman at Karachi was not available for comment.