09/12/2020
Non-payment of pay for three months: Workers’ protest keeps metro bus service suspended for hours - Pakistan - DAWN.COM
“Though the release of subsidy had faced delays, especially in the last couple of years, the delay
for three months happened for the first time. It led to nonpayment of subsidy to the companies,”
the source said.
He added that the company, responsible for operating ticketing system, also requested the PMTA
for payments a couple of times but to no avail. He said the payment to other companies,
excluding the one operating the metro buses, is also facing massive delays.
“If there is no payment, everyone, excluding the drivers, would be on strike,” he warned.
A senior PMTA official said the government would soon release subsidy.
“The company dealing with the ticketing would soon be paid and the issue would be resolved
within a week or so,” PMTA General Manager (Operations) Syed Uzair Shah told Dawn. He said
there were also precedents that the payment of subsidies faced delays during the previous
government’s tenure.
“Sometime, it happens due to some procedures. But everything will be settled by the next week,”
he said and added that the bus operation remained suspended till 1:15pm due to protests.
“In Rawalpindi too, on Nov 27, the bus operation was disrupted by the employees. However,
there was no issue in Multan,” he explained.
Though during the initial years of the metro bus operation (2013/14) the metro bus drivers had
also organised some protests due to low pay and poor service structure, there was no issue of
delays in non-payment of subsidy or funds to the then Punjab Metro Bus Authority.
Published in Dawn, November 29th, 2020
https://www.dawn.com/news/1592949
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