Govt Increases Salaries Of Protesting Employees By 25%

The federal government has approved a 25 per cent increase in the salaries of government employees. The provinces have also been directed to increase the salaries of employees by 25 per cent.

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Finance, ad hoc relief will be given to Grade 1 to Grade 19 employees. Employees of the Federal Secretariat and related agencies will be involved.

The statement said that federal employees will get 25% ad hoc relief on their basic 2017 salaries, effective March 1, 2021.

The statement also said that employees in grades 1 to 16 would be upgraded on the lines of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government. The time scale pattern will be given in the next budget, a summary of 25 per cent ad hoc relief to federal government employees will be approved by the federal cabinet.

It may be recalled that government employees in Islamabad protested yesterday and tried to march towards Parliament House on which the police resorted to baton-charge, tear gas shelling on employees and arrested several people.

Clashes between police and protesters continued in Islamabad on Tuesday, police fired tear gas shells, several people were unconscious forces and demonstrators threw stones at him.

Angry protesters also stopped Federal Information Minister Shibli Faraz on the highway.

The three-hour-long talks between the government employees and the government committee held in Islamabad last night were successful but the government employees announced to continue the strike till the notification of salary increase and release of the arrested persons.

Federal Minister for Home Affairs Sheikh Rashid, Minister for Defense Pervez Khattak and Minister of State Ali Muhammad Khan, who were part of the government delegation, briefed the Prime Minister on the situation after meeting the government employees and then the Prime Minister approved the increase in salaries of government employees.