Sanitary workers' grievances: Supreme Court order not complied with

The Supreme Court's order to pay salaries and pensions and to provide protective gears to the sanitary workers has not been complied with, though the Attorney General for Pakistan and the advocates general of all the provinces and the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) had given assurances that the workers grievances would be addressed.
"All their dues shall also be paid by the contractors positively within two days and if not done so by the contractors, the same be done by the respective governments," said the Supreme Court order dated May 19.
Samuel Payara, chairman, Implementation of Minority Rights Forum, informed Business Recorder that, so far, the apex court's order has not been complied with.
He said the sanitary workers from all the provinces, particularly, Hyderabad Development Authority (HDA), had conveyed to him that despite the Supreme Court directions the contractors had not paid them salaries and pensions. He said not even facemasks had been provided to the workers. Payara during the proceeding of suo moto on the federal and the provinces steps to combat COVID-19 had informed a five-judge larger bench, headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed, that sanitary staff in Sindh, particularly of HDA, had not been provided protective gears, nor had they been paid their salaries for about nine months, and sanitary staff employed by the contractors were in even worse condition.
He further told that pension to the retired sanitary staff had not been paid by the governments of Punjab, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the ICT and the Gilgit-Baltistan (GB).
Attorney General Khalid Jawed and the advocates general of all the four provinces, the ICT and the GB have given assurances that grievances of the sanitary staff will be specifically and seriously redressed by the relevant government officials, in that, all sort of protective gears shall be provided to them within a week's time positively.
Further, salaries of all the sanitary staff shall be paid by all the governments/local governments including the HDA. The pension of the sanitary staff shall also be paid.
The salaries and pensions shall be released and paid in full within two days. The conditions of sanitary staff, employed by the contractors, shall also be examined.
"The sanitary, being a core work of the government, we fail to understand as to how this work is being done by awarding contracts."
Apparently, such contracts are mere sham contracts and this court on the next date of hearing will examine this issue. All government departments are directed to file before the court copies of the contracts with the contractors employing sanitary employees. Let a compliance report in this regard be also submitted to the court.