Progress in talks over government employees’ salaries

Govt likely to increase salaries, perks after consultation with financial team

ISLAMABAD:

A governmental team on Friday held talks with the leaders of the All Government Employees Grand Alliance over the latter’s demand to raise the salaries and perks of the government servants.

The meeting chaired by Minister for Defence Pervez Khattak was attended by representatives of the grand alliance as well Minister for Interior Sheikh Rashid and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan.

At the Friday meeting, different proposals with regard to the increase in salaries and perks were discussed.

According to sources, the talks have progressed well and the government is likely to decide about a possible raise in salaries by the next week after consulting with its finance team.

Addressing the participants, Khattak said the government believes in the welfare of the government servants and is committed to provide them all possible facilities.

“The country is progressing and its resources are also increasing. We will definitely raise the salaries of government employees and will also provide them other perks according to our resources,” he said.

The minister claimed that they also want to remove discrepancies in the pay scales. “We will soon finalise the recommendations of the Pay and Pension Commission (PPC). The government has reconstituted the commission for the welfare of the people,” Khattak was quoted as saying.

All Government Employees Grand Alliance staged protest in different parts of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) on February 3, demanding that all the ad hoc relief should be included in the basic salaries of the teachers and other government employees

The protesters had warned to stage a sit-in in Islamabad on Feb 10 if their issues were not resolved.

The government in November last year reconstituted the PPC by expanding its membership from 18 to 25 to prepare recommendations for providing relief to civil servants as well as military officials and pensioners by removing distortions in next year's budget and suggesting a way forward.