HOURS before the employees of public sector departments were set to stage a protest demonstration, the Federal Government on Wednesday decided to give a fifteen per cent disparity allowance on running basic pay with effect from next month.
The raise has been given to the employees up to grade nineteen.
Just the other day, Prime Minister had also announced to increase salaries of paramilitary forces by fifteen per cent.
The current price hike especially of essential commodities has badly affected the employees the most and with each passing day it was becoming difficult for them to manage their affairs in the salaries they were drawing at present.
Hence, the very increase will be a breather for them but not sufficient enough.
Anyway at this point in time what really matters the most is that the decision is also implemented in letter and in spirit.
Unfortunately, there are still many departments which have yet not received the disparity allowance of twenty-five per cent announced by the government almost a year ago.
The employees of these departments are running from pillar to post but their outcry is not being heard by the relevant ministries.
Indeed this allowance is not for those already availing higher than standard pay packages but what is the fault of those departments which do not fall in this category and their salaries are already on the lower side.
This disparity allowance in fact is not removing disparity but further adding to the inequality.
We, therefore, will request Prime Minister Imran Khan as well as Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin to ensure that all those departments which do not fall in the category of higher pay packages get the disparity allowance of this year as well the one announced last year.
Prime Minister Khan in his every speech always speak about justice, and when the justice is not done by the government itself to its employees, then definitely the employees will only make mockery of his statements and call it a mere lip service.
Whilst Pay and Pension Commission has failed to firm up its recommendations regardless the passage of almost two years, the government must announce a substantial raise in the salaries of employees in the upcoming budget.
Not only the basic pay but other allowances such as conveyance allowance which has not been raised over the last decade or so, must also be revised upward keeping in view the current prices of petroleum products and transport charges.
