ISLAMABAD: The All Government Employees Grand Alliance (AGEGA) on Tuesday claimed that the federal government has met their two major demands immediately while it is working on the implementation of the other demands.
Addressing at employees' gathering outside the Ministry of Finance, the AGEGA Chief Coordinator, Rehman Bajwa, said that he along with other AGEGA representatives held meetings with Finance Minister Ishaq Dar who has directed the relevant officials to approve the summary of upgradation and regularisation of daily wagers working in various divisions and ministries. He said that within next 10 days the government will issue an official notification in this regard, saying that the union will continue struggle for implementation of the other demands.
Earlier in the day, the AGEGA started a protest rally in a bid to press the government for increasing their salaries, a 100 percent increase in house rent allowance, and a 150 percent increase in the executive allowance from outside the Q-Block and reached outside the parliament house. Later, the finance minister invited AGEGA representatives for talks and immediately agreed to implement two of their demands while assured them to seriously consider the reset of the demands.
After the announcement of the AGEGA chief, the protesting employees of the federal government called off the protest.
Bajwa said that the employees of the federal government are facing serious financial crisis owing to skyrocketing price hike while the government has lingered on their demands for the past two years.
The federal government employees earlier in November also started a protest for increasing their salaries and other demands, but called off the protest following negotiations with the federal ministers and other officials.
“We are not going to compromise on our rights as in the past five years the public sector workers have not received any significant pay raise while during the period prices of everything has increased three fold. We are pleased to listen that the finance minister has issued directions to the relevant quarters to implement our demands which are totally just. In case if the government is not fulfilling the promise and not issuing summary we will return and stage a sit-in outside parliament house,” Bajwa said.
“All the federal government employees’ organizations and associations participated including the teachers, doctors, paramedics and engineers,” he said.
He said that one of the top demands of the federal government employees is the end of salary discrimination and executive allowance should be brought at par with the employees of the other governmental organisations.
“The salary of grade 1 to 16 employees should be increased by 150 percent. The 11th February Agreement and 12th April 2021 Establishment Division recommendations should be implemented,” Bajwa urged the government.
He said that the employees of the federal government departments and divisions have requested the government for the upgradation of the federal government employees from grade 1 to 16 in accordance with the provincial pattern, saying since 2020 the government held various rounds of talks with promising to implement their demands but so far no practical steps have been taken in this regard.
“House rent and the medical and conveyance allowance should be increased by 100 percent. The daily wagers and the contractual and ad-hoc employees should be made permanent. The pensions should be substantially increased in proportion to the inflation,” he added.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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