Director-General of Employees Old Age Benefits Institution (EOBI) Iqbal Haider Zaidi has advised employers to get their employees registered with EOBI online. Speaking at a function organised by Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI), he said that EOBI had developed an online registration system, adding that the EOBI website could be accessed by employers as well as employees.
He said that the number of registered employees with EOBI exceeded three million, adding that 360,000 of them were getting pension benefits. He said that EOBI covered all industrial and commercial enterprises which employed five or more employees. However, he said, businesses with less than five employees could get them registered voluntarily with the EOBI. He said his organisation had introduced a number portability facility under which an employee's EOBI number would remain the same even if he changed employers.
Referring to a complaint, he said that he was shocked to learn that EOBI staff was harassing employers for personal gains. He maintained that EOBI was a welfare-oriented institution and assured employers that harassment and extortion by EOBI staff would not be tolerated.
Zaidi also assured employers that he would take strict action against those who where found involved in corrupt practices. He advised businessmen to contribute towards various EOBI schemes for the benefit of their employees. He said that the institution was planning to expand its network. Former president of FPCCI S M Muneer said that most industrial associations had complaints against EOBI staff.
He said that EOBI's image had been destroyed because of the stubborn attitude of the organisation's top management, adding that they tended to focus only on meeting targets. He advised the EOBI staff to mend their ways and stop harassing employers because it would only lead to closure of industrial units, adding that businessmen were already facing immense problems.
Chairman KATI of Mohammad Zubair Chhaya said the EOBI should launch an effective public awareness campaign about its services because most employees in the private sector were unaware of benefit offered by the organisation. He suggested that a committee, comprising representatives of the institution and KATI, should be set up to resolve EOBI-related issues. He said that EOBI should consult with KATI before sending notices to industrialists. The function was also attended by Provincial Caretaker Minister for IT Mian Zahid Hussain.