Protesting transfer: Hazara University employees continue strike

Demand reversal of order posting clerical and janitorial staff to Mansehra.

ABBOTTABAD:

The clerical and janitorial staff of Havelian campus of Hazara University (HU) continued their strike for the second day on Wednesday over the transfer order of their colleagues.

Meanwhile, according to official sources, former Havelian MPA Khurshid Azam Khan met HU acting vice chancellor Dr Sohail Shehzad at his office and requested to cancel the order. The acting VC agreed to reverse the order till Friday and reinstate the employees at the campus while also clearing their salaries, claimed insiders.

According to a circular from the office of Registrar Hazara University issued last Friday, around 18 janitorial staff members out of 120, from grade 1 to 16, were transferred from Havelian campus to Garden Campus of the university located in Manshera. They were asked to report to their new destination in two days. Non-compliance to the order would result in halting of salaries, it further stated.

When approached for comments, Havelian Campus coordinator Dr Ayub Khan Jadoon confirmed the report of transfer of employees. “The transfer is part of government service and every employee is bound to follow orders,” he said.

Infuriated by the transfer order, Hazara University Employees Association held a consultative session with the campus president Waseem Khan and went on strike on Tuesday for an indefinite period to protest against the transfer, terming the step “politically motivated”. Threatening to continue the strike until the cancellation of the transfer order, the union said the teaching staff would also support them. They accused the political leadership of Abbottabad for meddling in the university’s affairs.

“The MNAs and MPAs are trying to open an Abbottabad campus for the university and for that, they are making way for their own people in this campus,” Khan alleged. While the VC was not available for comments, Khan confirmed the acting VC has promised to cancel the order.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 1^st, 2014.