Employees stage sit-in as govt fails to address demands

Islamabad:Following the failure of negotiations between the All Government Employees Grand Alliance (AGEGA) and the government’s negotiation committee, government employees launched a sit-in protest in front of the Pak-Secretariat under the banner of AGEGA to press for their demands, says a press release.

The government had constituted a committee led by Rana Sanaullah Khan, adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs and Minister for IPC, to review the grievances of AGEGA and find a resolution. However, the committee failed to satisfy AGEGA’s leadership, leading to the initiation of the protest. Initially, the sit-in was planned for February 10, but AGEGA postponed it to February 20 after the government assurance that their demands would be reviewed. With the failure of the negotiations, AGEGA, a coalition of over 100 unions and associations from various government departments, resumed its protest.

The Federal Government College Teachers Association (FGCTA), a key component of AGEGA, actively participated in the sit-in. Professor Muhammad Akram, president of FGCTA, criticized the salary disparities among government employees, stating, “Judges, parliament members, and certain favoured government officials receive significantly higher salaries compared to teachers and employees of deprived departments. This is sheer discrimination. The government must adopt a fair and uniform salary policy for all government employees.”