Rally demands 100pc pay raise amid high inflation

Islamabad: With the federal government set to announce budget for the next fiscal today (Friday), thousands of government employees, including teachers from various colleges, gathered in front of the Pak Secretariat here on Thursday to demand a 100 per cent increase in their salaries. The rally-cum-sit-in was organized by the All Government Employees Grand Alliance with the support of the Federal Government College Teachers Association. The protesters, shouting slogans and holding placards, highlighted their grievances and said a 100 percent pay raise would help them meet expenses. They also called for an increase in frozen allowances and a reduction in pay disparities for employees of different categories. FGCTA president Dr. Rahima Rehman said record inflation had drastically reduced the government employees' purchasing power to their misery, so the government should give them a 100 percent increase in salaries. FGCTA press secretary Dr. Jabir Hussain complained the conveyance allowances for employees hadn't been increased for many years despite a record surge in petrol prices. "Employees in BPS-16 and above still receive a mere Rs5000 per month conveyance allowance. It should be revised in line with the hike in oil prices," he said. He also demanded an increase in the house rent allowance, which, he said, had been stagnant since 2018 despite escalating rental rates. FGCTA senior vice-president Professor Farhan Azam highlighted the significant salary disparities and said officers of ministries and divisions received an executive allowance equal to 150 percent of their basic pay along with a 20 percent special allowance.