Anger brews among bus workers over non-payment of Rs1,000 allowance

The Union of Bus Industry Workers (UBIW) has denounced the non-payment of Rs 1,000 allowance to some employees of private transport companies since May 2022.

The association has reportedly submitted a petition in this regard at the Prime Minister’s Office on Friday, demanding his intervention in this matter.

The president of the UBIW, Saleem Bacsou, said that he has been negotiating with the Minister of Transport since last year, but in vain.

The petition has reportedly collected more than 2,000 signatures from employees of four bus companies, namely Rose-Hill Transport and United Bus Service.

Iqbal Sheik Abbas, President of the UBS Employees Union (UBSEU), was cited by Defi Media as saying that bus employees had been receiving an interim allowance since 2020, pending a review of the National Remuneration Board (NRB) for public transport employees.

However, the allowance was suspended in June 2022.

“On the other hand, the Rs1,000 were added to the basic salary of employees of the (state-owned) National Transport Company. We are happy for them, but we feel that this unfair towards us. We are paid differently for the same job.”

Source: Defi Media