Up in arms: Class-IV employees demand promotion

MINGORA: A large number of Class-IV employees took to the streets of Mingora on Sunday to demand promotions and put an end to discriminatory practices.

The employees and the office-bearers of All Class-IV Employees Association took to the streets in Mingora and gathered at Nishat Chowk.

While addressing the protesters, Class-IV Association President Rahmani Gul said there are hundreds of Class-IV employees with master’s degrees. “However, they are compelled to do menial jobs in various departments in Swat,” he said, “These Class-IV employees are working as sweepers, peons and guards.” Gul added these employees were educated and were being asked to perform low-scale jobs by their heads which do not fall in their domain.  “In the education department, an educated sweeper also performs clerical task in addition to sweeping the office.” Gul said. “A guard assigned to look after the hospital’s premises also assists the medical staff during major and minor surgeries.”

He added Class-IV employees are not respected by their supervisors and have been asked to do extra work to obtain a promotion. He pressed the authorities to promote educated class-IV employees to higher scale and grant permanent status to the recently appointed workers.   Meanwhile, Muhammad Iqbal, an educated Class-IV employee, told The Express Tribune, “I have been serving the education department for the last 30 years but have unfortunately failed to get a promotion even though I work hard.”

Muhammad Mujeeb, another Class-IV employee, said, “I perform 24-hour duty as I am deputed as a security guard. I also work as a clerk in the morning.”

Published in The Express Tribune, September 5^th, 2016.