ISLAMABAD: Government employees, including a large number of teachers, staged a protest/sit-in in front of Parliament House, demanding a salary increase and elimination of the rising disparity in pay and privileges of different cadres.

The protest was held under the banner of All Government Employees Grand Alliance (AGEGA) and the Federal Government College Teachers Association (FGCTA).

The protesters gathered at Q Block of Pak Secretariat and later took out a rally towards Parliament House. They were chanting slogans and holding placards and banners in support of their demands.

According to a press release, Senior Vice President of FGCTA Prof Farhan Azam said: “Despite repeated assurances from the higher authorities regarding increase in pay and reduction in the disparity nothing has been done so far.”

There is no increase in conveyance, medical and house rent allowances of the employees, he added.

The employees are drawing these allowances since 2008 while inflation has increased substantially since then, he said, adding: “We are here to press the government to increase our salaries.”

Tasnim Akhter Mir, who was leading a large number of female college teachers, said: “Government has granted 150 per cent executive allowance to selective cadres of servants ignoring the teachers. This has increased a huge disparity in the pay of the government servants.”

She demanded the government to extend the same allowance to teachers.

Leader of college teachers association Prof Javaid Iqbal Gondal said: “Rental ceiling has not been paid to owners of houses taken on rent by teachers for a year. As a result, owners are threatening to evict the teachers, he added.

Due to rising prices of necessities, teachers facing great hardships and have now come under tremendous financial pressure, he said, adding how can we expect quality teaching in the classroom if a teacher is under financial worries?

Dr Nazir Ahmed Bhutta demanded the government to release a supplementary grant to pay the rental ceiling to teachers. If government does not heed to the call of association of teachers for release of rental ceiling, the protest will be intensified, he warned.

Dr Jabir Hussain, another leader of the college teachers association, demanded that salaries of low paid government employees should be brought at par with the privileged class of employees in order to eliminate disparity.

Published in Dawn, October 14th, 2022