LAHORE, May 19: The Punjab government on Friday agreed to examine the demands of civil secretariat employees for acceptance. A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting between the representatives of the Punjab Civil Secretariat Employees Association and additional chief secretary Naguibullah Malik after a meeting of the association here on Friday.

Addressing the meeting that continued for three hours, Rana Rehmat Ali, Malik Ijaz Ahmad, Azeem Ahmad Bari, Malik Yasin, Mohammad Saleem Khan, Mahmood Butt, Dr Nasim Ghani, Tariq Gull, Mian Azhar Siddiq, Mohammad Aslam Sahi, Khaliq Gujjar, Manzoor Inayat Sahotra and Syed Kifayat Ali Shah demanded restoration of 20 per cent secretariat allowance, moveover and selection grade facilities. They also demanded upgradation of pay scales of naib qasids, clerks, daftris, farash, chowkidars, assistants and class four employees, increase in pay and allowance commensurate with increase in the cost of living. They also stressed the need for linking the conveyance allowance to the petrol price.

The employees raised slogans against inflation and threatened to go on a hunger strike to press for the acceptance of their demands. They also decided to continue a two-hour pendown strike pending the acceptance of demands.