Zubair Qureshi
The Federal Ombudsman has directed the Chairman of the Employees Old-age Benefit Institution (EOBI) to formulate a well-structured mechanism to ensure registration of employees.
Federal Ombudsman Ejaz Ahmad Qureshi gave these directions in a suo motu taken on the plight of the workers.
He also directed the EOBI Chairman to take action against those employers who defaulted in getting their workers duly registered and do not send their contribution to the EOBI despite being a require-ment under the law.
Taking notice of the complaints regarding non-registration of workers by the EOBI, the Federal Ombudsman had summoned Chairman EOBI and Secretary Overseas Pakistanis for hearing.
He asked Chairman EOBI to ensure formulation of a well-structured mechanism to ensure registration of employees by employers under the EOBI Act, 1976 and also to take measures for efficient admini-stration and coordination between EOBI and regis-trable employers.
The poor employees were running from pillar to post to get their pensions but their employers had defaulted. He asked the EOBI chairman to speedily address the issue and resolve their grievances as they were getting only Rs.8000 monthly pension.
On January 28, FO had taken suo motu action against EOBI on a news item in a section of media and on a reference received from the President of Pakistan against thousands of pending pension cases of laborers.
The Federal Ombudsman had summoned the head of the EOBI with all details of pending cases and action plan for Wednesday, February 9, 2022.
He observed that a large number of pensioners, who have given their heart and soul to the economic and industrial development of the country along with their contribution to EOBI funds, are being deprived of their legal rights.
A labourer pays numerous visits to the office of EOBI for his merely Rs8000/- pension. The FO in a statement observed that no facilitation was being provided to these laborers at their re-gional offices.The Federal Ombudsman took very serious note on unnecessary delay and on red-tapism in payment of pension to the poor laborers.
