Non-payment of raise in salaries: K-P university teachers to continue strike

Demand an assurance from governor that they will get their raises.

PESHAWAR: Teachers from public universities in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) continued to boycott classes for a second day as they failed to reach an understanding with the K-P Governor. They are demanding payment of the 15% raise announced in the budget by the government.

The academic staff association’s leaders met K-P Governor Masood Kasuar here on Saturday to discuss a possibility of ending their boycott of classes. However both parties failed to reach an understanding.

Islamia College University Teachers Association President Ziaullah Sehrai told The Express Tribune that the talks did not fail, rather the deliberations took place in a cordial atmosphere and the governor listened to their complaints with sympathy.

Sehrai said that the Governor, Chancellor of all public universities, assured the teachers that the issue will be resolved by Monday or Tuesday, after he convenes a meeting of the universities’ vice-chancellors (VC) to resolve the issue. Some VCs had reportedly told teachers that arranging funds to pay them the increased salaries was their’s and the Higher Education Commission’s “headache”.

Sehrai said the teachers will continue their strike until they get a written assurance from the Governor that they will be paid their raises.

The president said that a general body meeting of the academic staffs of all universities is scheduled for Monday in which they will decide on their future course of action.

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