TAXILA: Locked school doors greeted the students across the Attockdistrict as the teaching staff continued a strike for the second consecutive day on Wednesday against amendments to pension and the leave encashment rules.

The call for the strike was given by the All Government Employees Grand Alliance (AGEGA) to press for their demands.

Locking the doors of their respective educational institutions and offices of the education department, the protesting teachers and staff of the Punjab education department gathered outside the office of the chief executive of district education authority and staged a sit-in while carrying placards and banners inscribed with different slogans and demands.

They also chanted slogans against the provincial government and called for an end to the discrimination against them.

“We, the teaching staff, demand that the Punjab government treat its employees fairly and equitably and should increase their salaries and benefits in line with the federal government and other provinces,” said a protesting teacher, Samina Bibi.

Another teacher, Shahida Perveen, emphasised the importance of the leave encashment rule, stating that it provides financial benefits to individuals nearing retirement. She was of the view that if the Punjab government were to abolish this rule, it would not only discourage teachers but also cause distress among them.

Malik Zahid Mehmood, president of the All Pakistan Clerks Association (APCA) Attock chapter, while talking to newsmen outside the office of the chief executive district education authority, said that the provincial employees in the past observed sit-ins only once a week on Tuesday, but as the government paid no heed to their demands, now they have decided to observe strikes on a daily basis for an indefinite period until acceptance of their demands.

Published in Dawn, October 12th, 2023