ISLAMABAD: The Federal Government College Teachers Association (FGCTA) and other government employee associations along with All Government Employees Grand Alliance (AGEGA), on Thursday, staged a protest demonstration demanding the government address the growing disparity between inflation and employee salaries.

The protesters who gathered at Secretariat Chowk demanded the government that a reasonable increase in their salaries be ensured in the budget 2023-24 being announced on Friday (today) as the skyrocketing inflation has made it impossible for them to make both ends meet.

The college teachers and employees of various government departments also joined the protest and demanded a 100 percent increase in their salaries in the budget.

The protesters said that unless there is a 100 percent increase in their salaries in the budget, it would be impossible for them to make ends meet as the record inflation has simply become unbearable for them.

They called upon PPP co-chairman Asif Zardari to play his due role in increasing their salaries as his party has a track record of giving relief to government employees in the budget.

They appealed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his Finance Minister Ishaq Dar to keep in mind the record inflation, which they insisted has made lives miserable for them.

A large number of pensioners including women also participated in the protest. They said that the way inflation has gone, one simply could not even afford two-time meal.

They said that if their demand to increase the salaries is met, they would celebrate it, or else the protest would continue as they have no option but to take to the street for a reasonable increase in their salaries.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023