Government urged to address workers’ and salaried class demands in federal budget: Chaudhry Manzoor

Calls for at least 50% increase in salaries and pensions; 100% hike in EOBI pensions; minimum wage of Rs. 50,000

Liaquat Ali

Islamabad: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) senior leader and head of the People’s Labour Bureau, Chaudhry Manzoor Ahmed, has urged the federal government to incorporate the aspirations of the working class and salaried employees in the upcoming budget. He demanded a minimum 50% increase in salaries and pensions, a 100% hike in Employees’ Old-Age Benefits Institution (EOBI) pensions, and the fixing of the minimum wage at Rs. 50,000 per month.

Addressing a packed press conference at the People’s Party Central Secretariat on Monday, Chaudhry Manzoor announced that these demands will also be raised during the party’s parliamentary meeting ahead of the federal budget presentation on Tuesday.

He was accompanied by several prominent labour leaders, including Syed Nazar Hussain Shah (President, Central Punjab), Shah Zulqarnain (President, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Ms. Musarrat Qazi, Abdullah Shah, Raja Abdul Majeed, and others from various regions and industrial sectors.

Chaudhry Manzoor revealed that he had recently discussed these issues with President Asif Ali Zardari, who acknowledged that the development of society is not possible without giving relief to the working class. “The PPP has always taken steps to improve the living standards of workers and salaried individuals,” he noted.

He further demanded that all ad-hoc relief allowances be merged into the basic salary and that any so-called pension reforms that negatively impact retirees be withdrawn. He emphasized that conveyance and housing allowances should be revised in line with market rates, and plans for privatizing or outsourcing national and provincial institutions should be scrapped.

Specifically, he warned against using Workers Welfare Fund and EOBI funds for non-labour-related provincial projects, stating that “these funds solely belong to workers and their families.”

Chaudhry Manzoor called on the government to reverse decisions to shut down Utility Stores and the Public Works Department (PWD) and to publicly commit to halting the privatization or outsourcing of critical national entities, including PIA, Civil Aviation, WAPDA, OGDCL, and Punjab’s schools, colleges, hospitals, and municipal institutions.