LAKKI MARWAT, July 14: Employees of the Lakki Tehsil Municipal Administration held a demonstration outside the TMA office on Saturday in protest against non-payment of salary and pension for four months.

Hundreds of workers staged a march from the Tanchi office before gathering outside the TMA office.

Municipal Employees Welfare Workers Union president Khursheed Khan Meenakhel led the protesters who carried banners and chanted slogans against officials of the Lakki TMA and in favour of acting Tehsil Nazim Shaukat Hayat Khan Begukhel.

Earlier, the employees held a meeting in the Tanchi office which was attended by the office-bearers of the NWFP Local Government Federation and a large number of Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA) workers.

The acting tehsil nazim, councillors Umar Jan and Mufti Ihasanullah, and local leaders of the Pakistan Wapda Hydro Labour Central Union expressed solidarity with the workers.

Union president Khursheed Khan Meenakhel said that the authorities concerned had failed to make appropriate arrangements for payment of salary and pension.

He announced that the employees would observe a complete strike on Monday.

He said the struggle would continue till the fulfilment of workers’ demands.

Tehsil Municipal Officer Haji Sakhi Jan said he had approached the higher authorities and sought approval for paying salary and pension to employees out of developmental funds.

“Strikes and protest demonstrations are not solution to any problem, rather such steps develop misunderstandings,” Mr Sakhi Jan said.

He said the issue could be resolved through peaceful means.

He asked the workers to be patient and avoid becoming a tool in the hands of ‘conspirators’.