Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Legislative body of Upper House of parliament on Thursday expressed serious concerns over non-payment of salaries to teaching staff to worker welfare fund schools for last few months in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and some members staged walked.

The committee was of the view that majority of these teaching and non-teaching staff belong to poor section of the society and non-payment of salaries to them was injustice. Despite committee clear instruction for payment of salaries, the concerned department failed to implement the recommendations. These views were expressed in Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, while Senator Baz Muhammad Khan was on chair. Senators Shahi Syed, Rehman Malik and Nigat Mirza staged token walked out over failure of the Worker Welfare Fund KP to ensure timely payment of salaries to the WWF schools, where majority workers children studying.

Chairman of the Committee said it was regrettable that the committee decisions were not implemented and bureaucrats always create hurdles in smooth functioning of any department. The committee was informed that there were total 3800 staff in WWF schools out of which 2400 were appointed on contract bases and it was presumed that majority of them were appointed on fake degrees. Most of the records were set ablaze and according to the available record 663 people were appointed while the decision of about 1774 people would be done after proper verification.

The committee again directed the WWF Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to ensure clearance of all outstanding salaries by 29th of this month and apprised the committee over it.

MD Overseas Employment Corporation apprised the committee about the OEC function, source of income and promotion of employment opportunities abroad. The OEC was established in 1976 and up to date it send 140000 workers abroad. The expatriates were confronting multiple problems and the government established the OEC for addressal of workers problems, the MD maintained. He said the OEC could not take any budget from government and spend according to its source of income. Main source of income of the OEC were service charges, income of travel agencies, profit in investment, training of Korean language, and fee of different documents. Senator Rehman Malik said the OEC took Rs4000 to Rs65000 as charges from each applicant, which according to him totally against Immigration Laws 1979. He demanded that details of alls such charges should present in committee next meeting.

The committee was informed that due to PM visit to Qatar, Pakistan got 100000 visas. The committee asked about salary and other perks to the workers. The committee was informed that a Philippine worker was working on 400 Qatari Riyal while the government will try to get 1000 Riyal. Senator Rehman Malik said that before taking any decision about salary of a worker, minim wage in Pakistan and ILO determine wage should be kept in mind.

The committee also stressed for improving the performance of nurses so that they could get higher salaries while working abroad. Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Pir Sadrudin Rashdi told the committee that one year time period was given to OEC for improving their performance.