Govt employees reject KP budget

MINGORA: The members of All Pakistan Clerks Association (APCA) and the All Government Employees Coordination Council Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Wednesday staged a protest against the recently presented provincial budget.

Carrying banners and placards, a large number of government employees gathered outside the Swat Press Club.Speaking on the occasion, APCA Swat president Ali Rehman, president of Class-IV Employees Syed Khitab and others rejected the budget outright, accusing the provincial government of injustice and discrimination. The protest leaders announced a sit-in outside the Chief Minister’s House in Peshawar on June 23 if their demands were not met.

They pointed out that while the federal government announced a 10percent salary increase along with a 30percent disparity allowance, the provincial government has only offered a 10percent raise and a 15percent disparity allowance, which they declared unacceptable.

The speakers also highlighted the contradiction in the chief minister’s claim of being able to lend money to the federal government, while failing to fulfill the rights of provincial employees in the budget.

The protesters demanded a salary increase equivalent to the federal government’s standard, 30percent disparity allowance, increases in medical, conveyance and house rent allowances and a ban on employee transfers, which they claim disrupt institutional performance.