Employees Old-age Benefits Institution (EOBI) has planned to introduce various projects to provide maximum facilities to industrial and commercial workers, EOBI Chairman Brigadier Akhtar Zamin said.
Speaking at a reception hosted for him by the Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (Kati) here on Thursday, the Akhtar said the new EOBI projects would include medical facility to the workers after their retirement and provision of residential plots to the poor workers on easy instalments. These schemes would come into effect after the approval from EOBI's Board of Trustees, he said.
He also said pension of a worker, who had worked in an industrial or commercial organisation for at least 15 years, had been enhanced to Rs 1,800 per month, which was likely to be further increased to Rs 2,500. In this regard, the approval would be sought from Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, he added.
He said EOBI had also decided to pay full amount to the widow of a pensioner after his death. Earlier, a widow was getting only token amount of Rs 1,000 from the pension of his deceased husband.
EOBI had been paying pension to 226,000 workers or their widows. The EOBI chief fully agreed to the suggestion of Kati Chairman Gulzar Feroze that the private sector representation at the EOBI's Board of Trustees should be increased.
"We would duly safeguard the interests of both the workers and employers," he assured.
The Kati chairman spoke in detail on labour-related issues and suggested certain reforms in EOBI.