Engineers of Punjab threaten to go on strike if service structure not improves

The diploma engineers of Punjab have threatened to go on strike for an indefinite period if their demand with respect to professional allowance and improvement in service structure are not approved by the Punjab government.

Engineering personnel fall into two cadres comprising the Bachelor Engineers registered under PEC Act, and the Bachelor of Technology/Diploma of Associate Engineer, exercising the alike analogous technical and general responsibilities, duties and pay scales.

One of the affectees, Muhammad Zahid told Business Recorder that discrimination and disparity amongst the two sections was in evidence when the Government of the Punjab granted technical allowance @ 1.5 times of basic pay scale only for the engineering personnel registered under PEC Act, on the basis, mode of receiving qualifications instead of practiced services/posts.

"Technical allowance to Bachelor of Technology/Diploma of Associate Engineer posted as Sub/Senior Engineer BPS- 14/16 and promoted Sub Divisional Officer BPS-17, raised the spectre of favouritism and inequity which led them to protest," he added.

The Sub Engineer BPS-14, Senior Sub Engineer BPS-16, and the Sub Divisional Officers BPS-17, perform survey work in violent conditions, preparation of projects, documentation, physical implementation of planning, seamless operation of system and distribution, accounts keeping, safeguard to assets and infrastructures, and contending with perils and calamities in un-accommodative environments.

Despite their industrious activities and odd working hours they are getting small basic salaries - Rs 15180, Rs 18910 and Rs 30370 respectively, which are inadequate and compromising their capacity to meet their needs, especially given the current high inflation regime.

During year 2019, the employees Federations/ Associations of aggrieved group put their rightful demands before the authorities for grant of technical allowance, and were compelled to launch sit-in protests. Their recommendations were submitted to the Government of Punjab and all the relevant administrative secretaries which were to then be forwarded to the Chief Minister Punjab.

During procedural formalities the recommended summaries were declined by the Finance Department unjustly, which augmented the prevailing uncomfortable circumstances amongst Sub/Senior Sub-Engineers and Sub Divisional Officers of all the provincial and attached Departments.

The affectees argue that Judicial staff has benefited from the judicial allowance whereas secretariat staff have benefited from the utility allowance, police personnel with two-fold salaries, officers posted by S&GAD are getting @1.5 times of realized basic pay, project management allowances for BPS 14-17, i.e, 40,000-75000 per month. And all the engineers of all provincial departments are receiving @ 1.5 times on basic pay while the most committed and proficient community comprising of about 5000 determined workforce is deprived of their dues for extra ordinary services, he concluded.