Perseverance: Indefinite pen-down strike by council employees continues in AJK

Employees staged protest rallies to accept their demands against spiralling prices of items of daily use.

MIRPUR:

After the authorities chose to ignore long-standing demands of non-gazetted employees of civic bodies in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), the employees continued and indefinite pen-down strike for the 12th consecutive day on Friday.

The employees staged protest rallies by boycotting their duties to press the AJK government to accept their demands and to demonstrate against spiralling prices of items of daily use.

Speakers including the Municipal Employees Union President called upon the AJK government to immediately release their salaries and pensions of retired employees which have been withheld for several months.

They also demanded an increase in their salaries and a dearness allowance in view of the continued price hike in line with a seven-point charter of demands already tabled before the government.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 24^th, 2011.