ISLAMABAD: The lady health workers (LHWs) continued their protest for the third consecutive day here at the D-Chowk against low salaries, pay structure, and scale. The protesting LHWs from the different parts of the country have spent two nights in open air, and have resolved to continue their protest until the government fulfilled their demands.

The protesters were holding placards and banners inscribed with slogans in favour of their demands. Heavy contingents of police and Ranger were deployed on the occasion in order to avert any untoward incident.

Rukhsana Akhtar, president LHWs, said that they would not leave the D-Chowk until their 10 demands including increment in salaries, pensions, formulation of service structure, were fulfilled by the government.

She said that other demands include payment of arrears to national programme AJK employees, and promotion of LHS working on additional charge, and provision of gratuity and pension to all retired employees.

The LHW president said that it was unjust that the salary for LHWs in Sindh was Rs 35,000, while LHWs in Punjab were paid Rs 20,000. She said that services of all cadres of the national programmes should also be counted, all LHWs and lady health representatives should be regularised.

Security must also be provided to all employees of the Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme during polio vaccination campaigns, they said. The district administration has placed some shipping containers around Red Zone, and deployed heavy contingent of police and Rangers to avert any untoward incident on the occasion. The LHWs continued their sit-in till the filing of this report.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020