UPPER DIR: Teachers went on a token strike on Wednesday against new rules introduced by the education department almost doing away with their casual leaves.

In Upper Dir, teachers observed a token strike to pressure the education department to reverse the decision. They attended classes by wearing black armbands to protest the decision. The strike call was given by All Teacher Coordination Council.

The teachers said the decision binding a teacher to have only one casual leave in a month was ridiculous. They said how a teacher could go to the DEO office for seeking casual leave on occasions of his relatives’ death.

SHANGLA: Like other districts, schoolteachers in Shangla observed the strike. The primary schoolteachers wore black armbands to protest the new regulation. They also demanded increase in salary in the next budget and regularisation of ad hoc teachers.

Rehbar Ali, president of Shangla chapter of teachers coordination council, told Dawn the teachers also demanded that the government merge the 75 per cent ad hoc relief in their basic pay, give time-scale promotion, increase pension from 35 per cent to 50 and house rent to 50 per cent.

TIMERGARA: The Lower Dir teachers on Wednesday announced to continue protest against the provincial education department’s decision of allowing only one casual leave to them in a month.

Talking to reporters, provincial president of All Teachers Coordination Council, Syed Mohammad Shah, said the government did not want to address the concerns of teachers. He said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, especially the bureaucracy, had been creating problems for schoolteachers in order to pave the way for privatisation of education sector in the province.

He said the council was going to hold a protest in front of the assembly building in Peshawar on May 25.

SWABI: Public sector employees, including teachers, staged a protest demonstration here on Wednesday for increase in their salary and merging of ad hoc relief in their regular pay in the upcoming budget.

The demonstration was organised by All Government Employees Coordination Council.

The protesters gathered at Mal Lara on Swabi-Jehangira road, where their leaders addressed them. Later, they marched from Mal Lara bus stop to Karnal Sher Khan Chowk, holding placards inscribed with slogans for increase in their pay.

Published in Dawn, May 19th, 2016