ISLAMABAD: The Utility Stores Corporation (USC) employees’ union on Thursday vowed to resist the government’s decision to shut down retail operations by July 10, saying it would fight for the rights of over 11,000 workers by initiating protests, sit-ins and legal action.

Established by the government in 1971, the corporation has a nationwide chain of retail outlets that provide essential commodities to the general public at prices lower than those in the open market.

The corporation took over 20 retail outlets at the beginning but now operates 6,000 stores across the country. The government allocated Rs65 billion ($229.7 million) to subsidize the products sold by the retail chain in the last fiscal year.

One of its spokespersons confirmed to Arab News the corporation’s public retail stores will be closed by July 10, adding that all operations will shut down by the end of the month.

“We have received instructions from the Ministry of Industries and Production to close down all the stores by July 10, shift remaining goods to warehouses and completely shut down operations by July 31, 2025,” Sajid Marwat, USC Public Relations Officer, said.

Meanwhile, Arif Shah, Secretary General of the All Pakistan Workers Alliance of Utility Stores, said the union will use all available avenues to protect the corporation and its employees.

“We will pursue both options, challenging the decision in court and staging on-ground protests including a sit-in at the [USC] headquarters,” he told Arab News.

“In total, around 17,000 people — including 11,500 direct employees of Utility Stores, 2,000 to 2,500 vendor staff and 3,000 franchise store workers from 1,000 to 1,200 outlets — will be affected by the closure,” Shah said, adding the authorities had already terminated around 4,100 employees.

He maintained the institution has remained in existence for 55 years, and shutting it down was not the government’s sole prerogative.

“If it is truly necessary to close this institution, the decision should be approved by parliament,” he said.

Shah noted that during emergencies and disasters, the corporation stood at the forefront to provide relief items and ensure food security due to its big presence all over the country.

He pointed out if the government was determined to shut it down, then at the very least, the employees should be given a fair and respectable voluntary separation scheme (VSS) package to help absorb the financial shock.

Asked about the possibility of offering such a proposal, USC spokesperson Marwat said a human resource committee would convene on Friday to review the issue in consultation with union representatives and the management.

“The union is not accepting the current terms as they are demanding compensation packages for everyone, including daily wage laborers and contractual staff, as all categories of workers are being affected,” he informed, adding that the government was considering a financial deal for regular employees.

Under the package for regular staff, the government is planning to offer two or three month of basic salary.

“But based on mutual consultations, the committee will prepare a comprehensive package for the outgoing employees,” he added.

Raja Miskeen, a USC employee for over two decades, termed it completely wrong to shut down Utility Stores, saying it would put the livelihood of thousands of employees like him and their families at risk.

“We are waiting for the official written order, after which we will challenge this move in court,” he told Arab News.

“We are also in contact with our unions, urging them to develop a joint strategy that includes protests, sit-ins in the federal capital and legal action,” he added.

Miskeen said the employees have dedicated many years to the corporation, adding that it had been functioning well.

“We are not against restructuring or improving its operations, but a complete shutdown is simply unacceptable,” he added.

Ayesha Anwar, a regular customer at the USC in Islamabad’s G-6 sector, said she had been shopping at Utility Stores for years, as their quality goods and subsidized rates had always helped stretch her household budget.

“Sugar at the store costs Rs164 per kilogram [$0.58], while in the open market it is around Rs200 [$0.71]. Similarly, price differences exist for other essential items as well,” she said, adding that closure of these stores would deeply affect the public, especially low-income families.

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday thanked Saudi Arabia for its continued support in Pakistan’s fight against polio, as the country recorded its 14th case of the year amid growing concerns over persistent virus transmission in high-risk districts.

Chairing a meeting of the National Anti-Polio Task Force in Islamabad, Sharif said targeted immunization campaigns were being intensified to reach every child, particularly in parts of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where the most cases have been reported this year.

“We pledge to protect every child in Pakistan from this crippling disease and to make Pakistan polio-free,” Sharif said, according to an official statement from his office.

“I am also thankful to His Royal Highness Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, who is extending all possible support to Pakistan in the fight against polio.”

Last year, Saudi Arabia pledged $500 million to global polio eradication efforts, according to WHO. The Kingdom, alongside the Gates Foundation and other partners, is providing both technical and financial assistance to Pakistan.

Pakistan remains one of only two countries in the world where wild poliovirus is still endemic, alongside Afghanistan. According to official data, the 14 confirmed cases this year include eight from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, four from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan. In comparison, Pakistan reported 74 cases in 2024 and six in 2023.

“Despite all difficulties and challenges, the government, with the help of its international, provincial, and local teams, will soon achieve the goal of a polio-free Pakistan,” he said.

Sharif emphasized that district-level campaigns were being developed to address “unique challenges” in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where security threats and vaccine hesitancy have long impeded eradication efforts. He also reiterated that the safety of frontline polio workers remained a “top priority.”

The meeting was attended by senior health officials, provincial leaders, and members of the international Polio Oversight Board, including Dr. Christopher Elias of the Gates Foundation, WHO Regional Director Dr. Hanan Balkhy, UNICEF’s Sanjay Wijesekera, and representatives from Rotary International and Saudi Arabia’s KS Relief.

Polio immunization campaigns have been launched in more than 80 districts this year, reaching tens of millions of children. But officials have repeatedly warned that virus circulation in environmental samples signals the need for sustained vigilance.

“We must ensure, with full dedication and seriousness, that every child across the country receives multiple doses of the vaccine and remains protected from polio,” Sharif added.

Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries where polio remains endemic. Islamabad made significant progress in curbing the virus, with annual cases dropping from around 20,000 in the early 1990s to just eight in 2018. Pakistan reported six cases in 2023 and only one in 2021 but witnessed an intense resurgence in 2024, with 74 cases reported.

Pakistan has faced years of setbacks in its eradication drive, with vaccination teams often targeted by militants and health misinformation slowing uptake in rural areas.