Workers’ rights: 100 per cent raise in wages demanded

APCA office-bearers protest against price hike.

FAISALABAD:

The All Pakistan Clerks’ Association (APCA) on Friday staged a protest demonstration demanding that the government raise salaries of clerks and regularise their jobs.

Several APCA office-bearers led the march on city roads before a sit-in on Jhang Road.

Some of them had pieces of bread hanging from their necks. Some of the protesters wore dresses resembling burial shrouds. Addressing the protesters, APCA divisional president Muhammad Ejaz Khan said the government had promised a 50 per cent raise in wages but announced only a 10 per cent raise in the budget.

“This amounts to making a mockery of the workers.”

Khan said prices of several commodities had risen by 300 per cent. He slammed the government for plans to privatise some government businesses.

“Government employees, particularly clerks, work day and night… instead of rewarding them with additional incentives the government plans to privatise departments,” he said. The APCA leader said the 2014-15 budget was not pro-people. “People were already unhappy … the budget has added to their woes.”

He demanded that the government take steps to control prices and raise clerks’ salaries in accordance with the prices.

Khan also urged the government to regularise contract workers. He said the APCA would launch a countrywide protest movement if the government did not announce a 100 per cent raise in wages and abort plans for privatisation of government organisations.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 8^th, 2014.