Such decisions pave the way for protests and strikes engulfing the streets by employees demanding their rights
MUZAFFARGARH: The Punjab government has granted a monthly utility allowance of up to Rs7,000 to its employees working in the Civil Secretariat, Lahore with effect from February 2017. It also enhanced a special allowance from 20 per cent to 50 per cent, admissible only to the employees of the Civil Secretariat, Lahore.
The modified financial benefits for the Civil Secretariat employees only mocks the others working in the departments of the Government of Punjab who face the same financial bottlenecks and are as high up as those working in the Civil Secretariat. With such imprudent decisions, the government has already caused damage to its reputation and credibility. The service structure in K-P is far better than it is in Punjab. Employees in Punjab lead a life that looks like bonded slavery. They are overworked and underpaid with little benefits.
Such decisions pave the way for protests and strikes engulfing the streets by employees demanding their rights. The granting of these benefits to the ‘chosen race’ will only cause unrest among the neglected deprived employees and they would be forced to be in the streets again protesting. In order to avoid the new row and to mitigate the suffering of its employees, the Punjab government should extend the admissibility of notified financial allowances to its employees working in other departments and offices across the province.
Muhammad Saleem Shahid
Published in The Express Tribune, February 4th, 2017.
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