PESHAWAR, Oct 3: Three major universities of Peshawar virtually remained closed on Wednesday as class-III and IV employees protested against non-implementation of 20 per cent increase in their salaries, which was announced by the federal government in budget 2012-13.

No class could be held in the University of Peshawar, Islamia College University (chartered) and Agriculture University Peshawar besides the constituent schools and colleges as neither the protesting employees opened classrooms no the teachers bothered to press for attending classes.

Also in the day, the academic staff of public sector universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa threatened to start complete strike from Friday (tomorrow) if the decision about 20 per cent increase in their salaries was not implemented.

“We will start complete strike from Friday and observe the World Teachers’ Day as black day on Oct 5 if the government failed to implement its decision,” said Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association (FAPUASA) president Dr Hamayun Khan while speaking at a press conference in Peshawar Press Club. A student of the UoP told Dawn that they had not taken any class on Wednesday because of the employees strike. “When we came to the university in the morning all the doors of our classrooms were locked,” he said. The class-iv employees refused to open the doors, he said.

A student of Islamia College University said that that students unions were angry over the employees’ protest and they broke locks of classrooms. However, he said that no class could be held as teachers also avoided coming to classes.

Dr Khan, the FAPUASA president, said that the 20 per cent increase in basic salaries of employees had already been implemented in Punjab, Sindh and Bolachistan provinces. He regretted that the federal government was yet to provide required funds to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for onward distribution among public sector universities.

He said that delaying tactics of the government was compelling employees of universities to hold protest strikes for attainment of their lawful right for last two years, which had also been affecting academic activities.

Flanked by office-bearers of teachers’ associations and representatives of public sector universities from across the province, the KP FAPUASA president said that the universities’ administration should take up the issue with the provincial government and department concerned.

He said that the situation would deteriorate in case of delay in release of funds for implementation of the pay raise.

Meanwhile, a three-member Vice-Chancellor’s Committee and class-III and IV employees of the greater campus of Peshawar University have agreed to pressurise the federal government for release of adequate funds to varsities, according to a UoP statement.

This was decided in a meeting of the committee with 20-member delegation of low cadre employees of the university campus. The meeting was chaired by UoP vice-chancellor Prof. Qibla Ayaz. Members of the VC`s Committee Prof. Khan Bahadar, Agricultural University VC, and Prof. Noor Jehan, ICU VC, were also present. The class-III and IV employees were represented by Abdul Ahad and Haji Salahuddin.

The VCs requested the employees to call off strike and give the committee a fortnight for resolving the issue. The, however, gave their consent to meet on a regular basis to resolve the issue.

Prof Ayaz said that students were the biggest stakeholders in varsities and there should not be any step like closure of university on part of the employees.

He said provision of funds to KP varsities was the responsibility of the federal government till 2014, and adequate funds must be provided for their smooth functioning.