Rally staged in Larkana against time scale benefits recovery

LARKANA:The members of Gazetted Officers Association, School Education, Sindh, took out a rally and held a protest demonstration outside DC High School here on Wednesday against what they called illegal recovery of time scale benefits granted to them 11 years ago, which has caused reduction in the basic pay and allowances.

They also took out a rally later on which after marching through various main roads reached the office of District Accounts Officer (DAO) where they staged a sit-in for acceptance of their just demands.

DAO Zamir Khokhar held talks with the protesters and assured them that their genuine issues would be taken up with the provincial government and hopefully it will resolve them. The protesters, included senior vice president Manzoor Mangi, Ashique Hussain Memon, Shamsuddin Tagar and Sanaullah Agani.

While talking to newsmen, they said that they were gazetted officers of BPS-17 in the education department and were basically High School Teachers (HSTs). The leaders said they were still engaged in teaching and training of newly appointed ministerial staff which was why Sindh government was granting them one teaching allowance on one hand while on other hand, time scale granted to them on the basis of seniority 11 years ago was being recovered from those HSTs who were in BPS-16 and then promoted to BPS-17 after massive protest demos held across Sindh.

They said their promotions were overdue but the Sindh government failed to promote them timely which showed their sheer negligence and the solution taken out was to grant them benefits through time scale policy which was still continuing in other departments.

They said the finance department’s unlawful letter dated 4th February 2020 had caused tremendous unrest among them which should be immediately withdrawn as under the same letter, they added.

The protesting leaders aid that their basic pay and monthly gross salary had been reduced and monthly recovery was also being carried out for the negligence of the education department which had delayed their promotions.

They said: “We are near to retirement and will also suffer huge financial losses in pension and other financial benefits which will not be tolerated as it is against basic human rights and also against the spirits of the law of equity.”

They urged Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah to dispense justice by withdrawing the illegal finance department’s letter; otherwise, they would be forced to again come out on roads for acceptance of their justified demands.