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In protest: Clerks camp in front of federal directorate

Ask for end to discriminatory policy because of which they are denied promotion.

Our Correspondent September 25, 2012 1 min read

ISLAMABAD:

Around 200 clerks working in the capital’s schools and colleges set up a protest camp in front of the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) on Monday. Their demand--follow a uniform promotion policy.

They besieged the directorate building last Tuesday for almost three hours, but called of their protest on assurances given by senior officials that their demands would be fulfilled till Friday. “We have now decided to sit here till the notification of a uniform promotion policy, as per the direction of the Supreme Court,” said Abdul Hamid, an office bearer of Clerks Union, Shaheen Group. The officials wore black armbands as a mark of protest.

“Clerks employed within the directorate are promoted to the next grade within a few years of their appointment, but clerks working in educational institutions are deprived of this fundamental rights despite the fact that they work for the same department,” said Hamid. “We retire without any promotion due to this discriminatory policy,” he added.

“We challenged this discriminatory policy in the Supreme Court and won the case last year, but the authorities have not implemented the order,” said Hamid. “Two directors had assured as that the issue would be resolved by 12pm on Tuesday,” said Mir Akbar, a representative of Clerks Union, who was in a meeting with FDE officials. “We will not call of our protest without a notification. We were given many assurances in the past, but they won’t work now,” he explained. Bilal Muhammad, one of the protesters, said FDE had advertised new vacancies for clerks without promoting incumbent employees.

Meanwhile, Director Co-ordination Prof. Waqar Ashraf, when contacted, said they would forward the case of the protesting employees to the Capital Administration Development Division. Initially, there were two cadres of non-teaching staff at the directorate. Later, some of the affected employees went to court, he added. Ashraf assured that work was being done to resolve the issue.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 25^th, 2012.