Passengers of four express trains remained almost stranded at the Lahore station on Monday for more than five hours when workers of railways loco shed went on strike in protest against non-payment of their salaries just before the Eid.
The passengers of Tezgam, Jaffar, Karachi and Karakorum expresses besides Rawalpindi-bound railcar were worst affected who had got their seats reserved in advance to reach their destination to celebrate Eid with their family, who had no option but to wait with uneasy state of mind.
Officials manning the inquiries desk at the railway station were also unable to give them definite departure time of the train concerned. The plight of families desirous of going to Faisalabad, Sialkot and Narowal was no different. It is pertinent to mention here that Loco shed workers usually get their salaries on 15th of every month. Owing to Sunday on 14th, the payment received late on Monday and salaries could not be transferred to the employees' account, resulting in denial of salaries to them.
The situation infuriated the employees who first staged a demonstration in front of railways headquarters and later stopped rolling out of locomotives from the shed. Divisional Superintendent Lahore, Additional General Manager (Traffic), Chief Commercial Manager and an officer of the finance wing held parleys with the protesters who end their strike after assurance that they would get salaries by Tuesday.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2010

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