Firefighters of the Karachi Fire Department announced on Wednesday a strike against the department. They haven’t specified when the strike will begin.
They staged sit-ins and chanted slogans outside the Central Fire Station. Their major demand is an increase in salaries.
“A 15% increase in our salaries was announced in 2018,” said one of the protesters. “It still has not been done and we have not received our increased salaries yet,” he said.
The issuance of a fire risk allowance is another major demand of the protesters. They have claimed that they have not received the allowance for the last 18 months.
“We have not gotten new uniforms or any other security equipment for five years now,” another firefighter said.
They have refused to work unless their demands are met. “We will not go to any factory, warehouse, market or shopping mall to put out fires,” he added.
—INP