ISLAMABAD: The All Government Employees Grand Alliance (AGEGA), Tuesday, started their protest 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.

The employees of the federal government earlier in the day started their protest by closing all the gates of the Pakistan Secretariat, while later they opened one of its main entrances and moved towards the Parliament House where they had announced staging a sit-in.

The administration was active to convince the employees to end their protest. The employees assured the administration of not blocking the road.

“Today’s sit-in had been announced on October 13,” AGEGA chief coordinator Rehman Bajwa said while talking to reporters outside of the Pak Secretariat.

“We will not compromise on our rights. If the government accepts our just demands, we will turn the sit-in into a day of thanksgiving,” he added.

“The sit-in is completely apolitical. The employees from all four provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir will participate in the sit-in,” he maintained.

“All the federal government employees’ organisations and associations are participating in the sit-in. Some 16,000 engineers will also participate in the sit-in with logistical support,” he said.

“The federal government employees suffering from salary discrimination should be given executive allowance as being provided to the employees of the other governmental organizations,” he demanded.

“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 asked 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.

The deputy commissioner of Islamabad (DC), Irfan Nawaz Memon, the deputy inspector general (DIG), the assistant commissioner (AC), and others negotiated with the protesting employees.

They said the government employees will not be allowed to protest outside the parliament gate. The protestors agreed on opening one gate of the secretariat. In the wake of protests, a huge number of police and FC is deployed in Islamabad.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022