Govt approves two month salary of Pakistan Steel Mills employees

Dar was chairing the meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC)  at the Prime Minister’s office on Wednesday, where it was approved and decided to pay the salaries before Eid.  It also approved the provision for gratuity fund and provident fund amounting to Rs.322.021 million  for retired PSM employees.

The gratuity payment to the retired employees has been due since April 2013 and provident fund since April 2015. The meeting was informed that all the payments on both these accounts are cleared before the above mentioned period.

ECC also approved the proposal by Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources allowing the Pakistan State Oil (PSO) to proceed and finalise the contract with the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation purchase of furnace oil and jet fuel, and make efforts to improve the payment terms.

The meeting decided to purchase thirty-five armoured vehicles to improve security of foreign dignitaries in the country, especially for the upcoming SAARC conference and other future events.

It may be mentioned that PSM employees have been on a strike the past 35 days due to non-payment of their salaries. On Monday Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan addressed a demonstration by its workers where he said that the mill was one the biggest assets of the country which has fallen prey to the neglect and nepotism by the government.

“Those who are responsible for the destruction of the mills reside in palaces,” he remarked and urged workers that their issues will not be solved until they do not take to the streets and pressurise the government.

“Why can’t the prime minister run this steel mill while his own mills are generating billions in profits?” he asked while criticising the premier for looting the state-run organisation. He lamented that common people have to pay for those responsible of massive corruption in the country.