Demanding higher pay: Patwaris back to work after two-month boycott

Strike called off on Tuesday after government promises to look into their issues.

ABBOTABAD:

The two-month-long strike by patwaris across the province ended on Wednesday following Tuesday’s negotiations with a team of government officials. Patwaris suspended services on May 29, demanding more money and an overhaul of their service structure.

The meeting with representatives of Anjuman Patwariyan was held in Abbottabad where Minister for Higher Education Mushtaq Ahmed Ghani represented the government.



At a joint news conference after the meeting, the minister and Anjuman Patwariyan Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa District President Hanif Gul Jadoon disclosed the government had assured patwaris their problems will be addressed soon. Based on said assurance, the patwaris called off their strike.

The previous government did not pay heed to their long-standing demands which created a sense of deprivation among them, said Jadoon. Adding to their resentment, the incumbent government implicated patwaris in cases of corruption. Jadoon then announced the patwaris will end their strike and resume duties across the province on Wednesday.

At the conference, Ghani reiterated his government’s resolve to root out corruption from all state departments. “Almost 65% of the provincial budget goes to the salaries of government officials. Yet, the service of employees has not improved; the government is striving to achieve that.”

Ghani conceded the problems of patwaris were genuine and have remained unresolved for years, forcing them to go on strike and creating problems for the public. “Boycotting services has also cost the government considerable revenue,” said Ghani.

Chief Minister (CM) Pervez Khattak has constituted a committee, headed by Chief Secretary Amjad Afridi, which will submit a detailed report to the CM within 90 days. “The government will address the issues of patwaris in light of that report.” 

Published in The Express Tribune, July 3^rd, 2014.