RAHIM YAR KHAN: Dozens of pensioners of a private company held a sit-in at Railway Chowk for the release of their monthly stipend that had been held bacl< due to rivalry of two groups of the union since 2011.

The protesters said 432 retired employees, including 160 females, of the company used to get Rs750 monthly stipend from the union fund.

They alleged that the two rival groups of the Unilever Pakistan Employees Welfare Union (CBA) were exploiting them despite having millions of rupees in the fund.

Kamran Shah Group defeated Khalil Shahzad Group in the union elections but the latter did not transfer funds worth Rs130 million to the new office-bearers. Due to which, thepensioners`monthly stipend was held.

The pensioners alleged Kamran Shah Group had got Rs2.3 million from the Unilever administration for the welfare of pensioners but union president Kamran Shah, secretary general Tariq Masood and finance secretary Shakil Ahmed opened a new banl< account illegally and transferred the amount to the account of a trader of the grain market.

The Khalil Shahzad Group registered a case with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) against Kamran,Tarig and Shakil and the FIA arrested two of them while Kamran escaped.

Later, Kamran Shah group got a stay for freezing the trust account, resulting in stopping their stipend.

The pensioners further alleged that District Officer Labour Muhammad Shakil was not cooperat-ing with them to resolve the matter.

They demanded distribution of Rs130m among their families.

Union President Kamran Shah said religious leader Abdul Rauf Rabbani had mediated between both the groups but their rival group had not implemented the decision.

Khalil Shahzad said that in 2009, the chairman of their union had advised him not to hand over trust funds to the new office-bearers because they had rigged the election.

He further said his group had distributed Rs60 million among the pensioners and remaining Rs50 million were in the National Savings Centre which would be distributed among the pensioners when the litigation would end.

When contacted, DO Labour Muhammad Shakil said the matter was not in his jurisdiction.