QAU workers demand solution to problems

Published March 28, 2003

ISLAMABAD, March 27: The Quaid-i-Azam University Employees Welfare Association president, Sheikh Ashraf, has asked the university administration for an early solution of their long standing problems.

In his maiden speech at the oath taking ceremony of the association here on Wednesday, he presented a charter of demands on behalf of the non-teaching staff to the QAU vice-chancellor, U.A.G Isani, who was chief guest on the occasion.

He said as many as 12 selection boards had been held for the teaching staff, whereas, for the non-teaching staff it was only held once.

“It is a discrimination on the part of the university administration, as a number of slots such as that of assistant registrars, estate officer, technicians, and others in grade IV and above remain vacant,” Mr Ashraf said.

Without giving exact number, he said, for the last 10 to 15 years people were working on daily wage basis and yet had no hope to be regularized as QAU administration seemed indifferent in this regard.

“It will be a blessing for them if the vice-chancellor make them regular university employees because at this stage they have no other means to make their both ends meet,” he said.

He said the issue of medical allowance, house rent and leave encashment were yet to be resolved and the university administration in collaboration with the body’s new executive council would seriously look into these demands.

He said, in the past, house rent used to be paid with the salary but under the existing mechanism an employee had to under go traditional red tape to get his cheque reimbursed. Therefore, the association demanded of the vice-chancellor to reverse to the previous mode of payment, he added.