SUKKUR : The District Council Employees Labour Union (CBA) Sukkur staged a protest outside the Sukkur Press Club against the alleged failure to accept their legitimate demands and announced a four-phase protest movement if their issues were not resolved.
The protesters demanded immediate acceptance of their demands, resolution of employees’ problems and an end to the difficulties they allegedly face at the District Council.
The protest was attended by Union President Abdul Majeed Jiskani, Tariq Hussain Solangi, Muzaffar Junejo, Mushahid Phul, Asif Chhajan, Jameel Dau, Hashim and other employees. The demonstrators raised slogans in support of their demands and said that their legitimate issues had remained unresolved for a long time, creating serious frustration among employees.
Speaking to the media, District Council Employees Labour Union (CBA) Sukkur President Abdul Majeed Jiskani said the union had submitted a 12-point Charter of Demands aimed at protecting employees’ rights and resolving their problems. However, despite repeatedly drawing the authorities’ attention to the matter, no effective progress had been made on the demands, he alleged.
He said the major demands included the formation of a Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC), promotions for employees on the basis of seniority and eligibility, recovery of District Council land allegedly occupied by unauthorized persons, and provision of legitimate rights and facilities to employees.
Jiskani said employees had been approaching the relevant authorities for the past year to have their demands resolved. According to him, District Council Chairman Syed Kamil Haider Shah, officials and the administration had also been informed about the employees’ problems several times, but the issues remained unresolved.
He announced that if the employees’ demands were not accepted immediately, the protest movement would be expanded in four phases.
In the first phase, a protest camp would be established outside the Sukkur Press Club and would continue until the demands were accepted. In the second phase, protest rallies would be organized. The third phase would involve a symbolic hunger strike, while the fourth and final phase would consist of a complete work boycott and lockout protest.
The protesters alleged that unrelated individuals were residing in District Council bungalows and quarters, while union leaders who had raised their voices for employees’ legitimate rights were allegedly facing retaliatory actions.
According to the protesters, some union leaders were allegedly demoted from Grade 16 to Grade 14, while employees were also allegedly being harassed. They demanded an impartial inquiry into such actions and called for protection of employees’ rights.
Union leaders further alleged that certain favored employees were being provided upgrades and other facilities, while other employees were allegedly being deprived of their basic rights and essential equipment. They demanded that all employees’ matters be resolved transparently and strictly on merit and that any alleged discriminatory policy be ended.
The protesters appealed to the Chief Justice of Pakistan, senior government officials and relevant institutions to ensure immediate implementation of the 12-point Charter of Demands of the District Council Employees Labour Union (CBA) Sukkur.
They specifically demanded the formation of the DPC, promotions based on seniority and eligibility, resolution of alleged encroachments and unauthorized occupation of District Council land and government residential properties, and provision of legitimate rights and facilities to employees.
The union leaders warned that if serious and immediate progress was not made on their demands, they would expand their protest and launch the announced movement in phases.
They said that, in their view, the responsibility for any further escalation of the protest would rest with District Council Chairman Syed Kamil Haider Shah, the concerned officials and the administration.
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