Ag APP
ISLAMABAD: Government negotiators have announced that federal employees will be given “ad hoc relief” of 25 per cent, a day after a public sector workers’ protest in Islamabad over a pay raise sparked clashes with the police.
In a press conference on Thursday, defence minister Pervez Khattak, flanked by interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed and parliamentary affairs minister Ali Muhammad Khan, said all federal employees would be given ad hoc relief of 25 per cent, while the “issues of upgradation (promotions)” will be resolved after the budget.
Khattak said there is a disparity between the salaries of different departments, which range from 100 to 200 per cent. “The ad hoc relief will be merged in the budget,” he said, adding that the Prime Minister spoke to two chief ministers and asked them to resolve salaries’ issue of provincial employees as per directions of the federal government.
“The ad hoc relief will continue till the decisions of the Pay and Pension Commission,” he added. The issue of time scale promotions will also be resolved and the promotions will be given by looking into the performance of employees, he said. The finance ministry was to issue the notification for the ad hoc relief later in the day, he added.
A policy would be made for the time scale of promotions. Directives will also be issued for settling the issues of lady health workers, he said.
When he spoke, Sheikh Rashid said the ad hoc relief would be given to employees from grades 1 to 19. He added that the salaries of employees of grades 20 to 22 would be increased in the next federal budget.
He said the government committee, led by Khattak, met the Prime Minister, who approved the increase in the salaries, adding that all the issues with the employees were resolved “amicably”. The government will remain in contact with the employees to further facilitate them, he said. He also said all cases against the protesting employees will be withdrawn and the protesters will be released.
Ali Muhammad Khan thanked the Prime Minister for taking a “keen interest” in the issues of employees. “The Prime Minister is ending the disparity in pay and there will be promotions,” he said.
On Wednesday, federal government employees and police clashed on Constitution Avenue in the capital over the pay raise. Talks had broken down on Tuesday, and the public sector workers had begun to march on Parliament. Police tried to disperse them with baton charges and tear gas and several workers were taken into custody.
Later that night, after marathon negotiations, Sheikh Rashid tweeted that negotiations over salary increase were “successful” and it was decided to immediately release all the arrested government employees. The government employees were represented by Rehman Bajwa, Chairman, All Government Employees Alliance and representatives of provincial employees also attended the talks.