LAHORE: The interim Punjab government on Tuesday notified a 30 percent increase in the salaries of the government employees; however, the employees demanded that the increase should match the announcement made by the federal government.

According to a notification, the employees have been given a 30 percent ad-hoc relief allowance in basic salaries with effect from July 1. The raise has been given to all the civil servants and contract employees employed against civil posts in basic pay scales on standard terms and conditions of contract appointment.

“The above ad-hoc relief allowance shall be accommodated from within the budgetary allocation for the Financial Year 2023-2024 by the respective departments and no supplementary grant would be given on this account,” it stated. Meanwhile, the employees have rejected the raise and have begun consultation for the protests in the province.

All Pakistan Clerks Association Lahore division president Chaudhry Mukhtar Ahmed Gujjar said that the Punjab government should have increase the salaries of government employees and other facilities on the pattern of federal government.

In a recent development, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif telephoned caretaker Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi and discussed the matter of the salaries and pensions of the government employees of Punjab. Discussion was held on bringing the pension and salaries of Punjab employees at par with the federation.

Naqvi assured the PM to again take up the matter of salaries with the cabinet. It may be noted that the government employees in Punjab had been protesting for a raise in their salaries.

The protests ended with the assurance of government. An All Government Employees Alliance had been formed to force the government to accept their demands.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023