LARKANA: Members of Shah Latif Local Government Employees Union of local bodies staged a protest at the Bhuttos’ mausoleum in Garhi Khuda Bakhsh Bhutto on Wednesday and warned of launching a march to Karachi to force the government to accept their charter of demands.

The employees hailing from Larkana and Sukkur divisions led by Hafiz Mushtaq Korejo, central president of the union; Abdul Hadi Markhiyani, general secretary; Zahid Memon and others, assembled outside the gate of the mausoleum and urged the government to accept the 17-point charter of demands which they had submitted a couple of days back in a meeting with Secretary Local Government Syed Khalid Haider Shah.

The union leaders said in their speeches before the protesters that the march would reach Nawabshah on Sept 22, Bhitshah on 23rd, Hyderabad on 24th, Thatta on 25th and on Sept 26 the employees would demonstrate outside Karachi Press club. The LG workers would join the march in all the cities and towns it would pass through, they said.

They complained that they had been protesting for years but it seemed people at the helm of affairs had put their demands on the backburner, which had increased resentment among employees.

The list of demands included constitution of service structure, disbursement of salaries through treasury offices, award of time scale and promotions in accordance with seniority in service, they said.

They said that group insurance should be paid at the time of retirement while the staff in fire-brigade and sanitation services departments should be paid overtime allowances.

They demanded action against the chairman and officers concerned who were allegedly involving in carrying out illegal deductions from their salaries. Retired employees should be given their pension arrears and contractual employees should be confirmed, they said.

Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2024