KARACHI: Over 21,000 workers of the civic agencies have not yet been paid their salary for the month of September owing to which many of them could not participate in various religious rituals on the occasion Ashura in Muharram.

In a statement issued here on Tuesday the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation`s Sajjan (CBA)union said that over 17,000 workers of KMC, over 4,000 worl
Union chief Zulfiquar Shah said that the workers were expecting that after the public representatives assumed office the payment of salary to workers would be made timely but rather than being made on time the salaries were being delayed.

He said that while the salaries were not being paid, the workers were being made to perform additional duties and that also without the payment of overtime.

He urged the chief minister to look into the issue of non-payment of salaries to workers andtake stern action against those responsible and direct the officials concerned to make timely payments.

Payment of arrears Meanwhile, the union chief said that the workers of KMC Municipal Services, Malaria Control, Fumigation, Solid Waste Management, City Wardens, etc, despite promises had not been paid the honorarium for the additional duties that they had performed during the past two years.

He said that while these staffers who worked in the field were not being paid, the employees ofthe administrator`s secretariat, municipal commissioner`s secretariat, finance, payroll section, etc, who sat in the air-conditioned rooms / offices were paid four additional salaries as honorarium last year and this year also similar exercise had been started and documentation had been done and case had been prepared and was awaiting approval in the finance department.

He said that such `stepmotherly` attitude towards field staffers and pampering the office staffers was causing unrest among the field staffers. He demanded that their arrears be paid to them immediately.