Unfair treatment: NED staff protest for overtime, leave encashment
Vow to stop work at the university until their demands are met
NED LOGO. PHOTO: FILE
KARACHI:
Makhdoom Ashraf, who has been working as a computer attendant for the last 38 years, was one of the 100 employees of the 1,598 non- gazetted officers of NED University of Engineering and Technology who were protesting on Monday against the university’s administration.
“We are protesting after waiting for years for our leave encashment, overtime money and departmental promotions,” said Ashraf, adding that they have not received overtime payment for the last year and for 20 years they have not been promoted from ad hoc status. He also said that for four years they have not received any leave encashment, which is a monetary refund for un-availed leaves.
The protesting non-teaching staff, which includes security guards, drivers, sanitary workers and gardeners, were not only from the main campus but also from the city and LEJ campuses. Ashraf said that they have written to the pro-vice-chancellor of the university, education minister Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, regarding their dues and issues with the administration.
Another protester, Muhammad Faisal who is a grade-11 officer in data entry, said that due to ban on departmental promotions, he has not been promoted in the last 10 years, despite being asked to work overtime and do extra duties during the annual examinations.
To resolve the issues, a four-member team met vice-chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Afzal Haque, the registrar and finance director and presented their demands but the meeting was unsuccessful. “We will continue our protest until they fulfill our demands and pay us our money,” said senior vice-president of the NED Association for Non-Gazetted Officers, Abdul Qadir. He said that the money for overtime was only released to a few employees and his association wanted all the dues to be cleared soon.
Faisal explained that they have gone on strike and will not resume their work until their demands are fulfilled. “We have told the administration that we are closing the university in terms of our work,” he added.
Meanwhile, NED University registrar Dr Ghazanfar Hussain told The Express Tribune that there are issues that must be resolved. “The matter of overtime is in the pipeline and will be resolved before June 30,” he said, adding that the case for leave encashment is pending with the Public Accounts Committee and the university administration cannot make any decisions right now, as the university’s budget is in deficit and the leave encashment amount is more than Rs54 million.
Speaking about the regularisation of ad hoc employees, Dr Hussain said that, according to the orders of the Sindh government, they have stopped all promotions and will promote the employees once the government takes back its order.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 7th, 2016.
Makhdoom Ashraf, who has been working as a computer attendant for the last 38 years, was one of the 100 employees of the 1,598 non- gazetted officers of NED University of Engineering and Technology who were protesting on Monday against the university’s administration.
“We are protesting after waiting for years for our leave encashment, overtime money and departmental promotions,” said Ashraf, adding that they have not received overtime payment for the last year and for 20 years they have not been promoted from ad hoc status. He also said that for four years they have not received any leave encashment, which is a monetary refund for un-availed leaves.
The protesting non-teaching staff, which includes security guards, drivers, sanitary workers and gardeners, were not only from the main campus but also from the city and LEJ campuses. Ashraf said that they have written to the pro-vice-chancellor of the university, education minister Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, regarding their dues and issues with the administration.
Another protester, Muhammad Faisal who is a grade-11 officer in data entry, said that due to ban on departmental promotions, he has not been promoted in the last 10 years, despite being asked to work overtime and do extra duties during the annual examinations.
To resolve the issues, a four-member team met vice-chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Afzal Haque, the registrar and finance director and presented their demands but the meeting was unsuccessful. “We will continue our protest until they fulfill our demands and pay us our money,” said senior vice-president of the NED Association for Non-Gazetted Officers, Abdul Qadir. He said that the money for overtime was only released to a few employees and his association wanted all the dues to be cleared soon.
Faisal explained that they have gone on strike and will not resume their work until their demands are fulfilled. “We have told the administration that we are closing the university in terms of our work,” he added.
Meanwhile, NED University registrar Dr Ghazanfar Hussain told The Express Tribune that there are issues that must be resolved. “The matter of overtime is in the pipeline and will be resolved before June 30,” he said, adding that the case for leave encashment is pending with the Public Accounts Committee and the university administration cannot make any decisions right now, as the university’s budget is in deficit and the leave encashment amount is more than Rs54 million.
Speaking about the regularisation of ad hoc employees, Dr Hussain said that, according to the orders of the Sindh government, they have stopped all promotions and will promote the employees once the government takes back its order.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 7th, 2016.