Huge disparity in Chinese, Pak staff’s salaries

LAHORE:The Chinese staff recruited by the Punjab Mass Transit Authority for Orange Line Metro Train (OLMT) project is getting huge salaries in comparison to the local employees, The News has learnt.

This huge disparity between the salaries of Chinese and Pakistani staff could affect the operations of OLMT because of lower morale of the local staff. Besides the huge difference in the salaries, the Pakistani staff is also given a different grade system than the Chinese. According to sources, as many as 200 Chinese workers were recruited for OLMT who are drawing salaries in Chinese Yuan (CNY) while the Pakistani staff is being paid in Pakistani rupees (PKR).

On Wednesday, the value of 1 CNY against 1 PKR was equal to Rs 24.02. According the data of salaries of 93 Chinese working at OLMT project, available with the scribe, the Chinese staff is highly paid. If the salaries of Pakistani officials working on the same/equivalent seats are compared with those of Chinese staff, the Pakistan employees are getting mere peanuts. According to data, a Chinese-origin deputy chief executive officer/CFO/director with grade L2 is being paid 136,000 CNY per month which is equal to over Rs 3.26 million. There were three positions and all were filled with Chinese. No Pakistani was hired on this designation.

A Chinese official posted to the rank of DGM is getting 83,000 CNY/month which is equal to over Rs 1.9 million/month whereas Pakistani official Umer Chishti, DGM Equipment and Maintenance, of the same rank is getting Rs 625,000 per month. Another locally recruited DGM (Finance and Accounts), Salmanul Haq, is being paid Rs 400, 000.

As many as 43 people of Chinese origin were recruited on the slots of technicians/train operators and each person is being paid 47,500 CNY, equal to over Rs 1.13 million.

On the other hand, Ateeq Ur Rehman, a locally recruited train operator/train crew, is getting merely Rs 60,000. This huge disparity in the salaries will affect the operation system of OLMT, several local officials working in the project said on the condition of anonymity.

From Chinese origin, for the slot GM of O&M department three people have been recruited. They were hired from the GMG Company and every employee is being paid 92,000 CNY per month which is equal to more than Rs 2 million per month. Seven Chinese on the slot of GM of the auxiliary department DGM O&M department were recruited and everyone is being paid 89,000 CNY, equal to over Rs2m, per month.

Four Chinese-origin employees of the rank of DGM are being paid 83,000 CNY, equal to around Rs2 million. Seven people were recruited on the slot of assistant to GM and each one is being paid 78,000 CNY, which is over Rs2m.

Five Chinese managers were recruited on a handsome salary of 68,000 CNY, equal to Rs 1.63 million. Six Chinese on the slot of engineer/deputy manager/chief dispatcher were recruited on 60,000 CNY per month each, which is equal to Rs1.43m.

Twelve people of Chinese origin are working on the slot of train dispatcher/train crew and each is getting 57,000 CNY, equal to Rs 1.36m. Three Chinese on the slot of depot dispatcher/assistant engineer are getting 52,000 CNY each, equal to Rs 1.24m. Whereas, the locally recruited employees working on the OLMT project are getting much lower salaries and demanded the government increase their salaries keeping in view the salaries of their Chinese counterparts.

Muhammad Waqas, manager operations, is being paid Rs 275,000 per month, Muhammad Ali, track engineer, Rs 175,000, Faisal Anwar, DM operating system) Rs 165,000, Mushahid Saleem, equipment dispatcher, Rs 80,000, Adeel Malik, supply chain executive, Rs 80,000, Mubasher Ali, interpreter, Rs 100,000, Hassan Zahid, admin officer, Rs 55,000 and Badar Riaz, fleet officer, is being paid Rs 55,000 per month.

When contacted, Punjab Mass Transit Authority General Manager (Operations) Uzair Shah said the Chinese are working here for one year to train the Pakistanis. He admitted that the salaries of Chinese are much higher as they are being paid in their country’s currency.

When this scribe asked him about the number of total Chinese working on the project, he said that around 200 Chinese are working there and 102 of them are drivers.

Replying to a question about the low morale of local staff, he said that the morale of Pakistanis working at OLMT would not be down if they compared their salaries with their local counterparts. He said comparisons regarding the salaries of Pakistani and Chinese cannot be made, said Uzair Shah concluded.

The local staff disagreed with the argument of Uzair Shah. They said that, no doubt, the government will pay them handsome amounts as Chinese are foreigners and they are giving training here but the big differences in the salaries raise many questions.