Unpaid daily-wage teachers set to boycott classes

Islamabad: The teachers working in various government educational institutions of Islamabad on daily wage basis have announced they will boycott classes if salary withheld for the last four months is not paid by February 27 (Monday).

The Young Teachers Association complained the Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) had not taken any step to ensure the payment of outstanding salary to them and regularisation of their service.

It warned if daily wagers were not paid salary and were not regularised, then they would boycott classes from February 27. The association said the protest would continue until their demands were met.

The relevant officials said state CADD minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry had asked the relevant officials to prepare a fresh summary in this regard for the consideration of the finance division for early resolution of the matter.

The division had already rejected the summary of the CADD for early salary payments to daily wagers not paid the Rs14,000 salary for four months.

Daily-wage teachers said having boycotted duty for many weeks, they’d resumed duty in October last year only after the relevant CADD minister, Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, assured them of the early dues payment, regular salary payment and regular jobs, but the assurances later turned out to be false.

They said they’re distressed by financial problems caused by non-payment of salary. Employed by the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) for around eight years, the daily-wage teachers of the FDE schools and colleges have long been demanding either posting to the vacant positions and creation of new posts for the rest, increase in the monthly salary of daily-wage teachers from current Rs13,000 to Rs30,000 in line with their contemporaries in Punjab and that of non-teaching staff members reasonably, or offering of job contract to daily wagers without the condition of selection on open merit and once that contract expires, permanent joining be given to their respective posts.