Thousands of Sindh government employees, including school teachers, boycotted work on Monday to protest against recent changes made to pension rules. The strike was organised by the Sindh Employees Alliance (SEA).
A large rally of government employees marched from the Old Campus and concluded outside the Hyderabad Press Club. Addressing the protesters, GSTA General Secretary Iqbal Panhwar accused the provincial government of planning an “economic murder” of its employees.
“When the SEA held a demonstration in Karachi last month, the government responded harshly but this movement will now see protests across the entire province,” Panhwar warned. He and APCA’s Ashraf Bozai cautioned that failure to withdraw the changes would lead to a paralysis of the government machinery in Sindh.
Proessor Anwar Mansoor of SPLA said the protest would continue until the government reversed its stubborn stance on pension benefits. Meanwhile, the All Sindh Revenue Employees Association sealed their offices and demonstrated outside the Senior Member Board of Revenue’s office in Hyderabad. The association’s General Secretary Amjad Lashari emphasised that pension cuts are unacceptable, as pensions are the sole income source for many retirees. The SEA and allied employee groups demanded the restoration of old pension rules and called for enhanced pension benefits. They also urged that pensions and retirement funds be released immediately upon retirement, to spare elderly retirees from unnecessary delays.
The protest received backing from several associations, including the Primary Teacher Association (PTA), Government School Teachers Association (GSTA), Sindh Professors and Lecturers Association (SPLA), All Pakistan Clerks Association (APCA) Sindh, Irrigation Employees Association, Paramedical Staff Association, and others.
