FAISALABAD: The Parks and Horticulture Authority employees have been observing a strike for the last three days against what they said denial of gratuity and non- regularisation of the contract staff and daily wagers.

As a result of the strike, there is likelihood of withering of plants.

On Monday, dozens of contract and daily-wage employees set up a protest camp outside the authority head office and demanded that the government issue Rs540 million gratuity and regularise the contract staff and daily wagers.

Displaying banners inscribed with slogans in favour of their demands, the protesters criticised officials of PHA and the municipal corporation.

Yasir Khursheed, president of the PHA Union, said the authority officials appointed on contract and deputation had allegedly been playing with the future of the employees and inflicting loss on the national kitty. “The employees have been on strike for the last three days and are not looking after plants which may wither.”

He said the ‘delaying tactics’ and the alleged misbehaviour of the authority officials forced the employees to stage a sit-in outside the head office to raise voice for their rights.

He alleged that salaries of the employees were being deducted even on minor issues like joining the duty after a delay of 10 to 15 minutes.

Khursheed said non-issuance of the gratuity amount had made the financial condition of the retired employees miserable and they were finding it difficult to make both ends meet.

Similarly, he said the daily wagers and contract employees were worried as they were not being regularised.

He said the district government and the corporation officials had sufficient funds and they could resolve the issue of gratuity.

Talking to reporters, the protesters said the employees had been requesting the PHA high-ups for years to regularise the services of daily wagers and contract staff. They said the officials had promised to fulfil their demands; however, nothing was being done practically.

“We are beautifying the city roads while officials have made our lives miserable by denying our genuine rights,” one of the protesters said.

A PHA officer requesting anonymity told Dawn that it was the domain of the Punjab government to issue the gratuity amount to the retired employees.

He said a summary had been sent to the provincial government to regularise the contract staff and daily wagers.

He rejected the allegation of misbehaviour and said the officials had been performing their duty efficiently and trying to maintain discipline and minimise corruption.

He claimed that plants were being maintained.

The protesters have appealed to the chief minister to look into their issues personally and they would continue with their protest till the acceptance of their demands.

Published in Dawn, February 20th, 2018