RAWALPINDI: The law-enforcers have found the Metro Bus Authority guilty of violating the minimum wage law as it is paying its employees less than Rs32,000 – the amount set as the minimum wage by the government.
The Punjab Labour Welfare Department has taken strict notice after the matter was raised at the Prime Minister’s Portal. Inbox Business Technologies, which provides human resources to the Metro Bus Authority, has been given a warning to start paying Rs32,000 as salary to its employees and also clear the arrears by Wednesday (tomorrow) or face a fine of up to Rs6.4 million in case it continues to violate the law.
According to the reports, out of the 300 employees working in the Metro Bus Service plying between the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, at least 256 employees are being paid less than the minimum salary of Rs 32,000 in violation of the minimum wage law.
As many as 42 employees are getting Rs29,000 each while 214 staff members are being paid Rs25,000 each as their monthly remuneration. In nutshell, the 256 employees are getting less than the minimum salary fixed by the government.
The issue got attention of the authorities when an employee reported the matter of salary being given below the prescribed minimum wage by the Metro Bus Service, on the Prime Minister’s Portal. Later, the matter was sent to the Punjab Labour Welfare Department.
After the matter was forwarded to the Punjab Labour Welfare Department, the authorities visited the human resources department of the Metro Bus Authority, and after examining the records, it was confirmed that the salary being paid to the staff members was less than the prescribed amount.
Subsequently, an immediate warning was issued to Inbox Business Technologies that all the employees be paid as per the fixed minimum wage by Wednesday.
