PAKISTAN Steel Mills (PSM) is a stateowned enterprise whose retired employees around 800 in number are waiting fortheir duesforthelastseveralyears.

The accompanying image shows a protest demonstration some of these employees held more than a couple of years ago; Jan19,2023,tobe precise.

Therehasbeennochangeintheground position except for the fact that many of the retired employees have died during this period of hardship, and now their families are struggling as they wait for their legal dues to be paid to them. Tragically, there is no hope in sight.

These retired employees have given their life to what was once a key institution, but they have not received a single penny from their legal dues. The management and the government have closed their eyes on the issue. Many of these employees do not even have their own place to live.

The employees have filed a legal suit in court, but no one listens to their grievances. What hope can one have of the matter ever getting addressed? The matter hardly gets any attention, with the government, the media and the courts allactinglike silent spectators.If a state cannot fulfil its obligation towards its own people, how can it be committed to the wellbeing of the people? On Feb 23 this year, the PSM management terminated the services of some hundreds of employees without providing any financial assistance to them, not even a single month`s salary. This is against the relevant labour laws, but, then, nobody cares about such niceties anymore.

The callousness of the PSM management can be seen by the fact that it has cut off electricity, gas and water connections of the houses in which some of these `terminated` employees were living in PSM residential colonies and townships.

The management clearly wants the affected families to move out quickly, but it certainly does not want to pay them their dues. Is there someone listening? Saddam Hussain Memon Thatta