Punjab government employees continued to observe a pen-down strike and sit-ins in front of the government offices across the province till the acceptance of their “genuine demands.”
A large number of government employees protested in front of Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner Offices in Rawalpindi and other cities against discrimination in salaries and pensions. The protestors demand the same salaries, pension and other benefits as federal government employees.
Punjab government employees chanted slogans against the provincial government and called for an end to the discrimination against them.
As many as 34 organizations of the employees of various Punjab government departments, including health, education and higher education, besides the members of the All Pakistan Clerks Association (APCA), are taking part in the sit-in.
The All Government Employees Grand Alliance (AGEGA) is the leading organization to start protests and sit-in for the employees’ rights.
The Punjab government employees especially clerks and teachers led by AGEGA continued to observe a pen-down strike and held protest demonstration in Rawalpindi against the recent changes to the leave, pension rules and privatization process of government schools.
A large number of male as well as female teachers staged a sit-in before the district administration officers while carrying placards and banners with slogans against the actions.
On the other side,, Punjab Government Employees Welfare Association (PGEWA) also participated in the protests, whose General Secretary, Shokat Nadeem Bhatti said that the strike will continue for an indefinite period as the government didn’t take the concerns of the employees seriously.
Previously, the employees held a sit-in on Tuesday every week. Now, they have decided to protest until their concerns are addressed. If the situation persists, they will hold a demonstration in front of the parliament house.
Furthermore, the protestors have warned that they will halt OPDs in allied hospitals if the Finance Department refuses to withdraw its recent notification.
According to the notification, retiring government employees will face a financial setback in the form of leave encashment and pension payments.
Additionally, payments will be made as per the employees’ initial basic pay scale rather than their current pay scale.
