PESHAWAR, July 23: All Class-IV  Government  Employees Association, NWFP, has decided to launch a province-wide protest campaign in support of their demands from July 26.

Speaking at a news conference at the Peshawar Press Club here on Wednesday, president of the association, Afsar Khan and other office-bearers said they had been serving tea to the high-ups and cleaning tables for them at the offices, but the treatment meted out to them by the government was extremely inhuman.

According to them, black banners would be displayed atop of all the government departments on July 26 to be followed by protest processions throughout the province from Aug 7 to 14. The employees would wear black arm-bands to express their anger over the government’s apathy with regard to the solution of their problems.

From Aug 12 to 14, a two-hour strike would be observed and corner meetings would be held at all the departments in each district of the province. They said that if the government didn’t accept their demands by then, the association had decided to establish a one-day hunger strike camp on Aug 19 at Peshawar. The same day, similar camps would be erected at other districts also, they said.

They added that the association had decided to hold general body meeting of the employees on Aug 28 where the deadline would be set for the government to solve their problems.

As a last resort, they said that the employees would immolate themselves, for which they said several employees had registered their names with the association.

They said most of the employees were retired in the same grades in which they were employed after 30-35 years of jobs. The demands included announcement of proper service structure for the employees, an end to contract employment in  the government department, awarding of uniformed selection grades, promotion of the qualified employees to next grades, appointment of the sons of the retired employees in their places and establishment of Class-IV Foundation on the pattern of the Fauji Foundation.