Islamabad : The Capital Development Authority (CDA) Mazdoor Union has warned of a citywide protest movement if employees' long-standing demands including Eid allowance payments and overtime compensation are not addressed immediately.
The warning came during an important meeting of the CDA Mazdoor Union's Advisory Council held under the chairmanship of Aurangzeb Khan in Islamabad. The meeting was attended by CDA Mazdoor Union General Secretary Chaudhary Muhammad Yaseen, Chairman Raja Shakir Zaman Kiani, Supreme Head Mirza Saeed Akhtar, senior labour leaders, CBA committee representatives and hundreds of employees.
Participants reviewed the challenges faced by CDA employees, the institution's current administrative situation and the union's future course of action.
The meeting discussed several employee welfare issues including immediate approval of Eid allowance for all employees, allotment of residential plots and government housing, overtime payments for sanitation and field staff, approval of pending summaries and provision of house-building and motorcycle advances.
Union representatives expressed concern over growing unrest among employees due to delays in resolving long-standing issues. Addressing the gathering, union leaders said the CDA Mazdoor Union had consistently worked for the protection of employees' rights without discrimination and had advocated equally for Muslim and Christian workers.
The leaders said that under a 2006 agreement between the CDA administration and the Mazdoor union, employees had been receiving Eid allowances regularly, adding that withholding the benefit ahead of Eid-ul-Adha would be "gross injustice".
They also criticized the administration for delaying implementation of several approved summaries and promoting ad-hoc appointments instead of permanent recruitment, saying the practice was affecting institutional performance.
Union leaders further alleged that several approved positions were being abolished while field staff continued to perform additional duties without overtime compensation.
