Implementation of agreement: AGEGA renews protest to step up pressure on govt

ISLAMABAD: Federal government employees under the banner of the All Government Employees Grand Alliance (AGEGA) on Thursday renewed their protest urging the government to implement 11th February 2021 agreement signed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led government.

The government employees started their protest from the Ministry of Finance and marched towards the Parliament House chanting various slogans reminding the government of the promises made to them by the PTI government. They said that the previous government kept on lingering the implementation of the agreement and was ousted through a vote of no-confidence move.

Addressing the participants, chief co-ordinator (AGEGA) Rehman Ali Bajwa said that the AGEGA started the token protest demonstration from outside the Ministry of Finance and marched towards the Parliament House as a reminder to the present government of the agreement which was signed in 2021 with the employees of public-sector organizations in connection with merging the four adhoc allowances in basic pays.

The AGEGA leaders said that on 11th February 2021, a government negotiation committee headed by former Minister for Defence Pervaiz Khattak signed an agreement with the AGEGA of increasing 25 percent salaries, merging adhoc allowances in salaries, upgradation of scale one to 16 employees, timescale promotions, and 25 percent increase in pensions by November 1, 2021, but so far, the government has totally failed to implement the agreement.

They said that on 16th November 2021, the government delegation led by the former State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Ali Mohammad Khan, also assured the employees of settling the issue through negotiations, which was accepted by the AGEGA leaders but as yet not a single practical step has been taken towards implementing the agreement.

They said that the employees are facing serious problems owing to price hike of essential kitchen items, increase in utilities, petrol prices, and transportation costs but the previous government failed to implement the agreement signed with the government employees to increase their salaries on 11th February 2021.

The former government had accepted the demands of government employees on 10th February 2021, including a 25 percent increase in salaries, merging adhoc allowances in salaries, upgradation of scale one to 16 employees, time scale promotions and 25 percent increase in pensions.

AGEGA chief coordinator Rehman Bajwa said that if the government was still not going to take serious steps in implementing the agreement, then the government employees across the country will start protests. They further asked the government to regularize the daily wagers working in various public sector entities.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022