ISLAMABAD - One-day strike of employees of model colleges that was called off on the same day disrupted the ongoing final examination schedule of Prep to Class-VIII that caused problems for the students and in the examination was cancelled a few colleges due to low attendance.
The employees including teaching and non-teaching staff who have been protesting for the past two weeks for regularisation of their services went on strike in 20 model colleges on Monday. The employees did not open the locked room and buses could not be run as drivers were on strike.
In Islamabad Model College G-10/4, the examinations were cancelled as the students could not reach the college and in other colleges too the administration started papers late to wait for the students still many students missed their final examinations. The lecturers and Junior Lady Teachers (JLT) working on daily wage and contractual basis said even if the employee call of strike still they would not check papers if their services were not regularised.
Over 2,000 employees of model colleges including regular, contractual and daily-wagers working under Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) observed complete strike in 20 model colleges and staged a sit-in at D-Chowk. Among daily wage and contractual employees, over 200 are lecturers and JLT of model colleges, 425 are non-teaching staff from BPS-1 to BPS-15, and about 150 non-teaching employees of federal schools and colleges.
They have been working for the lat 5, 10, 15 and 19 years on contractual or daily wage basis without any allowances, incentives and promotions. Their salaries range from Rs 2,750 to Rs 3,000, Rs 3,500 and up to Rs 6,000 and they are asked to work for long hours. Even their salaries are deducted during public holidays or when they fall ill.
Later on, in the evening on the assurance of Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) Joint Educational Advisor Rafique Tahir, regarding the redressel of their demands the employees called of strike and sit-in. Rafique Tahir visited the protesting employees and announced that they would be regularised within a week on available vacant seats and for the rest new posts would be created and for this a case would be sent to Finance as soon as possible.
He said to full the demand of education allowance of the employees a separate case would be moved but its up to the Finance Ministry to approve or reject it. Islamabad Model College Employees Welfare Association President Mohammad Aftab said though ‘we have called off strike but if our demands are not taken seriously and FDE and CADD officials do not take any concrete step within a week we may give strike call again’.
Earlier, the representative association of all non-teaching staff associations of schools and colleges including federal and model, Federation for Non-teaching Staff Welfare Associations, had announced to observe strike in all institution including federal schools and colleges but later federal institutions’ employees did not join them.