ISLAMABAD: Yielding to pressure to increase the salaries of employees in lower grades, the government on Thursday announced a 25 per cent increase on an “ad-hoc basis” in the compensation of those working in grades 1 to 19 at the federal departments.
The announcement was made during a press conference jointly addressed by Defence Minister Pervez Khattak, Minister for Interior Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan who are part of a committee formed to resolve a pay dispute between the government and the federal government’s low-level employees.
Speaking on the occasion, Ahmed said a notification announcing the allowance will be issued later in the day and will continue until the Pay and Pension Commission (PPC) had provided its recommendations, Radio Pakistan quoted him as saying.
He further said the employees’ basic salaries will be revised in the next fiscal budget.
“Some salaries may be increased further based on their [PPC] proposals,” he said, recalling the government wanted to reward hard-working staffers while ensuring that substandard employees were penalised.
The minister further said the summary for the allowance had already been approved by Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, as well as the Ministry of Finance.
The salaries of government officials in grades 20 and above will also be revised in the coming budget, he said.
Ahmed also announced the release of all the protestors detained on Wednesday and withdrawal of police cases against them.
Speaking after Ahmed, Khattak said a calculation of the committee showed “a difference of 60 percent [in pay] of federal employees on average”.
He said the Centre was also aware of the issues being faced by employees of the provincial governments, and added federal government would recommend provinces to provide similar allowances to address their grievances.
“We will work with provincial governments and will give direction on how to achieve this,” he said.
The presser comes a day after a protest of employees for increase in salaries and other demands near Pakistan Secretariat, Islamabad turned violent after police resorted to tear gas shelling to push back the demonstrators.
The police arrested several protestors while those stuck in the Secretariat Block broke the door to escape.
Demonstrations were held at several points of the city, including Constitution Avenue, outside Secretariat Block, Cabinet Block and outside the National Press Club.
Later, the protesters started a march towards the Parliament House to intercept which police placed containers on the roads, sealing off D-Chowk.
On Thursday, at least 350 protestors gathered again at the Pakistan Secretariat while another 700 marched towards the National Press Club in the Blue Area, Islamabad’s central business zone.
However, the protest was called off after the presser.
Well done SH IK! Now, increase 50% salaries to MNAs, 100% Honorarium to Intellectuals of Paki Clergy who are more than all Nobel Laureates in the world?
It is right time SH IK should initialize a Nobel Prize within Pakistan for Medina Studies to take it back to Iron/Bronze ages?