Up in arms: IT staff threaten to protest over upgradation

They said it was approved, but treasurer delayed notifications.

PESHAWAR: Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Information Technology Staff Association (ITSA) have threatened to protest if notifications regarding their upgradation are not issued by July 11.

This was stated in a press release issued on Saturday.

“Three phases of protests shall be carried out until our demands are met,” ITSA K-P President Habibullah said. “In the first phase, we will block the roads. In the second phase, we will observe a three-day hunger strike from July 18 to July 20 outside Peshawar Press Club.” He added, “In the third stage, we will hold protests outside K-P Assembly.”

The ITSA president said a summary of the upgradation of computer operations staff was approved by Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, Minister for Finance Muzaffar Said and the chief secretary. The summary was sent to the treasury department for issuance of notifications.

“But the treasury department has been delaying the process since then,” he said. According to the ITSA president, they had informed the chief minister, the chief secretary and the finance minister regarding unjustified delays in the issuance of notifications.

All Government Employees Coordination Council K-P President Muhammad Aslam Khan said he, along with 3,000 computer operators, will announce a shutter-down strike if demands are not met by July 10.

“We believe this delay was being carried out on purpose,” he said.

He added some elements in the government are trying to weaken the provincial chief executive.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 3^rd, 2016.