LAHORE: Workers from different factories staged a demonstration outside the Employees Old-Age Benefit Institution (North) office here on Tuesday to protest against an alleged cut in the minimum pension rate through a circular by the outgoing EOBI chairman.

Responding to the call of the Trade Unions Action Committee, they assembled outside the EOBI offices to protest against the circular that said that the workers whose institution did not pay full dues would be given less than Rs10,000 per month pension.

They said that registering a unit within one month of its establishment and recovering pension contributions from it is the responsibility of the EOBI officials and their failure to do so must not affect the workers of the unit.

They alleged that the EOBI was recovering in a single installment from some units but was not enlisting their staff in its record and thus depriving them of their pension rights.

They demanded that the EOBI should increase the minimum pension from the present Rs10,000 in view of the prevailing inflation in the country.

They also sought forming Regional Claim Committees on tripartite basis for deciding controversial pension cases and putting an end to rejection of pension applications on frivolous objections.

Hanif Ramay, Nian Khan, Mahmoodul Ahad, Aima Mahmood, Jalvat Ali, Nusrat Bashir, Umer Saleemi and others spoke on the occasion.

Published in Dawn, October 2nd, 2024