Tempers rising with prices: Govt employees converge on capital

Hold protest for raise in salaries, curb on inflation.

ISLAMABAD:

Government employees from all over the country on Wednesday coverged on the capital to draw the attention of the rulers towards their economic woes and seek relief against unabetted price spiral. The employees who had come from areas as far as Fata, Gilgit-Baltistan and Balochistan, want the government to increase their salaries and regularise their services.

The protest rally was organised by the All Pakistan Government Employees Confederation, where the protesters staged a sit-in at the D-Chowk outside Parliament House. In a bid to move closer to the Parliament House, some of the protesters even crossed the barbed wires which resulted in a light scuffle with the police. However, the police did not resort to baton-charge and allowed the protesters to carry on peacefully at the D-Chowk.

Their key demands are to increase salaries of all the government employees as per the ratio of inflation, inclusion of all the ad hoc allowances into the basic pay, regularise all the contractual employees along with their past benefits, introduce a uniform pay and promotion scale for all the government employees across the country and stop privatisation of the government departments.

The employees were from the departments of education, health, secretariats, agriculture, PTCL, local government, Pakistan Post and Railways.

The protesters braved the scorching heat as they staged the sit-in. Holding banners and placards and hoisting black flags, the protesters continued their protest till filing of this story.

“We will march on the Prime Minister’s secretariat if the authorities did not heed to our demands and respond in a positive manner,” said Abdul Ghafar, President, All Pakistan Teachers Association.

He said that the uncontrollable inflation has badly affected the government employees. “This year the salaries must be increased as per the ratio of inflation,” he said.

He added that the government should introduce a uniform system for pay and promotion for the all the government employees across the government.

Allah Bux Qaiser, President Punjab Teachers Association said that they would not go back and would continue the protest till their demands were met. He said that it has become very difficult for a government employee to feed his children.

“The government should implement the recommendations of the pay and pension commission by increasing salaries in ratio with the inflation, which is in-line with the formula of renowned economist Dr Mehboobul Haq,” added Ali.

Arshad Awan, who had come from Gujranwala, said that government should introduce children-quota, group insurance and revise pay and pension scale in the government departments to compensate these employees.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 26^th, 2011.