NPC employees demand four months of unpaid wages

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 16 June 2020

Employees of the National Press Club in Islamabad are demanding the payment of four months of unpaid salaries. The delay has been attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic and the lack of a functional election committee.

Summary

ISLAMABAD—National Press Club (NPC) has failed to pay salaries to its employees for four months. On Tuesday, they demanded the immediate disbursement of their wages.

Tariq Virk, a reporter at Urdu daily Jinnah and a member of the NPC election committee, tells JournalismPakistan.com that the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the club's polls, which created problems for the employees. He termed the press club non-functional without any constitutional body.

He said if the contesting members allow the election committee to perform overall functions of the NPC, then it would be able to make the body functional and resolve the issues, including the payment of wages to 42 employees.

Senior journalist and former president of Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) Afzal Butt also expressed concern over the delay in paying salaries. However, he termed it a good option to allow the election committee to perform the function.

"I will consult my colleagues regarding this to find a possible solution," he said.

KEY POINTS:

• NPC employees have not received salaries for four months.
• Tariq Virk attributes the delays to pandemic-related issues.
• 42 employees are affected by the wage delays.
• The election committee could help restore functionality to NPC.
• Senior journalist Afzal Butt supports finding a solution.