Besieging Bani Gala: GAVI employees vow to continue sit-in

PESHAWAR:

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa employees of Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) have been holding a sit-in outside Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairperson Imran Khan’s Bani Gala residence to demand the regularisation of their services.

“We are waiting for the summary to be signed [by the K-P health minister] and will end our protest then,” Expanded Programme for Immunization K-P President Irfanullah told The Express Tribune over the telephone. GAVI works under the EPI in the province where they inoculate children up to five-years-old against poliovirus.

The demonstrators have been demanding the K-P government regularise their services the same way the previous ANP government did for 157 project employees of the first phase (2003-8). In addition to regularisation, the workers are also pressing for the release of their salaries which have not been paid for the last eight months.

“We have not just worked at hospitals since 2011, but also put our lives at risk by going to far-flung areas during drives,” said Irfanullah. He added the government did not seem concerned about their troubles, and vowed not to end the sit-in.

He said GAVI employees started their sit-in on Sunday and held two rounds of dialogue; one with PTI Chairperson Imran Khan and the second with a delegation of health department officials on Wednesday.

“The first one was unsuccessful as we boycotted talks after we learnt our reservations were not going to be addressed,” said Irfanullah. “However, as far as the second one is concerned, we are waiting for the steps promised during the talks.”

He said 131 employees were regularised recently, but were handpicked and the same courtesy is yet to be extended to the others.

He underlined EPI workers have been on the hit-list of anti-state elements. The workers still complete their duties despite having lost seven colleagues who were slain during immunisation campaigns. “Our services are not being recognised,” he felt.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 17^th, 2015.