Workers of the Balochistan Grand Alliance (BGA) initiated a symbolic hunger strike outside the Harnai Press Club on Saturday, similar to those in other cities of the province, to support their comprehensive charter of demands. Organizer Shams Tareen stated that the hunger strike was called by the central leadership of the BGA to press for significant reforms affecting government employees.
The demands include aligning government employees’ salaries with inflation, eliminating salary disparities among provincial government employees, and implementing an online retirement procedure similar to Punjab’s. The alliance also demands an end to the privatization of government institutions, the cessation of appointments on a contract basis, and a 100% increase in various employee allowances.
Further demands include transferring financial powers from the Accountant General’s office to district treasury offices, promoting eligible employees, abolishing income tax on government salaries, and ensuring employees’ registration with the Employees’ Old-Age Benefits Institution (EOBI) to protect their rights. Additionally, the BGA calls for lifting the restrictions on associations in Balochistan, providing utility allowance and house requisition facilities, resolving the financial crisis in Balochistan’s universities, and prioritizing the issues of public sector university employees.
The BGA’s protest highlights the urgent need to address these critical employee concerns and implement systemic changes across the province.