SWABI, Nov 21: Employees of various government departments have demanded an additional amount of Rs2,000 as Eid allowance as the government has failed to increase their salaries from the current financial year.

Trade union leaders of different departments, in separate press statements here on Wednesday, criticized the government for the delay in the implementation of the new pay scale and suspension of Eid allowance.

The government had revised the pay scale of government employees in June 2001, and had announced that it would be effective from December.

The provincial government had also announced that all interim reliefs enjoyed by the employees would be withdrawn from the date the new pay scale was effective.

The employees said that as the new pay scale was not yet effective and they would draw the Eid-ul-Fitr salary according to the old scale, they should be paid Rs2,000 Eid allowance, which was part of the old scale.

The union leaders said that it was the first time in the history of the country that the federal finance minister had announced the raise in the pay from Dec 1 instead of July.

During the last financial year, they said, the government had announced that the employees of all government departments from grade 1 to 16 would get Rs2,000 as Eid allowance before Eid-ul-Fitr.