Government employees demand 100 percent increase in salary

The Pakistan Employees Co-ordination Council (PECC) has demanded more than 100 percent raise in salaries and threatened to go on indefinite strike if the government failed to meet their demands. "All the government employees in all four provinces and AJK would go on indefinite strike as we do not have any other option as unprecedented price hike has forced poor employees to face starvation", said Bashir Ahmed Dar, President Central Non-Gazette Employees Association of AJK while talking to reporters. Dar said that main problem for low salaried class of Pakistan is poverty and price hike.
"Low paid employees are making the entire system effective, but they are being deprived of their due right", he added.
Keeping in view the increase in prices of essential commodities, the government should increase salaries of government employees, Dar demanded.
He said that the prices of essential commodities had increased 200 percent in few years but the increase in salaries of employees was not made in accordance to this price hike.
He demanded at least 100 percent increase in salaries, provision of house rent, medical and all other allowances.
Dar said that in 1991 the allowances like Secretariat allowance, convince allowance, medical and many other allowances were frozen, hence the present government should release the same allowances with respectable increase to ease the life of the low-paid staff.
He said that the office-bearers of employees associations from all four provinces and AJK have met here under the banner of Pakistan Employees Co-ordination Council in order to apprise government about the concerns of the government employees.
He said that assurances made by the government for provision of relief to salaried class would be checked in order to make future strategy.
He said that if claims of the government about economic stability are true then why the fruits are not being transferred to common man.
"If the government made any false assurance with the employees it would be dangerous as hundreds of government employees have a capacity to block entire system", he threatened.