Late payment of salaries & pensions: Municipal employees to protest outside KP Assembly

PESHAWAR: Municipal employees and pensioners in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Friday announced to stage a protest outside the KP Assembly on December 4 and earned of locking down the offices if their demands were not met by that time.

The decision was unveiled by the Provincial Chairman of the Local Government Employees Federation Shaukat Ali Anjum after a provincial meeting.Shaukat Ali said the need for critical reforms within municipal institutions, including reinstating the abolished taxes, such as the 1 percent transfer property tax discontinued last July.

He added that steps to increase income sources should continue and suggested merging newly established or financially unstable TMAs back with their previous TMAs to ensure timely payment of salaries and pensions.

The federation representatives urged the elimination of unnecessary expenditures, including daily wage payments and promotional expenses.Failure to address these demands, they said, would result in a peaceful protest in front of the provincial assembly.

Senior officials of the Local Government Employees Federation also addressed the meeting and expressed concerns during a general council meeting in Peshawar Town-I.They advocated for a 5 percent restoration of the transfer property tax and called on the provincial government to strengthen municipal institutions rather than weaken them.

The speakers demanded that all daily wage expenses be ceased and sought an immediate end to the current Rs. 500,000 quotation system.The Local Government Employees Federation called upon the KP government to swiftly implement reforms, ensure regular monthly payment of salaries and pensions to municipal employees and pensioners by the first of each month through the Finance Department, and address all grievances to avoid any disruption in municipal services.

The provincial meeting was attended by federation leaders, including Shaukat Ali Kiyani, Anwar Kamal Khan, Muhammad Salman Hoti, Haji Muhammad Riaz, Qaiser Bacha, Mahboobullah, Niaz Ali Khan, Shad Khan, and several union representatives from across the province.