PESHAWAR, Oct 5: Teachers of all government universities in the province on Friday observed Salam Teachers’ Day as black day and boycotted classes to protest non-payment of 20 per cent raise in salary as announced in budget 2012-13.

According to Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association provincial president Professor Hamayun Khan, all teachers of the province’s government universities will continue agitating until their demands are met.

Clerks and Class IV employees of the said universities have also been protesting denial of the 20 per cent raise in salary.

They first observed a strike for a day and then locked up offices and refused to work until their demands were met.

“Previously, teachers took classes despite Class-IV strike call, but now, teachers have joined them,” said Professor Hamayun.

He said the boycott of the classes would continue until the university paid them the due raise in salary.

When contacted, PUTA president Jamil Chitral said the government should respect teachers, acknowledge the services they had been rendering to the society and resolved their problems.

“If the government had promised to increase salary of all its employees, including teachers, 20 per cent, then it should fulfill its promise,” he said. Mr Chitrali said he suspected conspiracy in the matter as other provinces had given the pay raise to their respective university teachers despite the fact that they, too, had not been provided funds by Higher Education Commission.

“Why VCs of public sector universities have been making shortage of funds as excuse for not giving teachers the due increase in salary. The matter should be thoroughly probed,” he said.

Mr Chitrali said the government should take the issue seriously since it was its responsibility to fulfill their commitment.

Meanwhile, a news release said the matter was raised at a Salam Teachers’ Day function jointly organised by Peshawar University Teachers’ Association and Unesco on the university premises.

Information minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain, who was the chief guest on the occasion, said he was aware that UoP employees had gone on a strike to protest non-payment of 20 per cent raise in salary as announced by the government.

He said it was a reasonable demand and the government was trying to solve the matter.

The minister said higher education minister Qazi Asad had called a meeting of the vice chancellors of the province’s government universities on the matter.

He, however, said had VCs hired staff keeping in mind their needs and available resources, the problem would have never occurred.