Misuse of power?: WWB staffers protest against ‘illegal’ termination

PESHAWAR:

Hundreds of staffers of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Workers Welfare Board (WWB) held a protest over their alleged illegal termination outside the Peshawar Press Club on Friday.

WWB Teachers’ Association representative Karimullah Khan led the protesters who shouted slogans against WWB’s senior officials, and demanded K-P Chief Minister (CM) Pervez Khattak to take notice of the issue.

“Over 400 staffers of the WWB including teaching and non-teaching staff of the Monotechnic Institute and Working Force Grammar School were terminated from their jobs without any prior notice or any given reasons,” Karimullah said. Taking to journalists, Karim accused Secretary Labour Tariq Awan of illegally terminating the staffers. He claimed all appointments were made on merit.

The protesters also claimed evening classes in Working Force Grammar School were launched after getting formal approval from the authorities, but the labour secretary later declared it illegal and sacked teachers without prior notice.

The terminated staffers appealed to CM Khattak and K-P Minister for Labour Bakht Baidar Khan to take notice of the alleged illegal terminations and order an inquiry into the matter.

Man seeks police protection

In a separate protest outside the Peshawar Press Club, Jahangir Khan, a resident of Mathra, demanded police protection against his alleged influential foes.

Accompanied by his relatives and friends, Khan placed his brother Noorullah Khan’s body outside the press club and sought police protection. He claimed their enemies Sabir Khan and Arif Khan had killed Noor over a land dispute, alleging the accused had already killed four of his brothers before killing Noor.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 29^th, 2013.