Protesting lower employees baton charged

KARACHI: Two protesters were injured when police applied baton charge and used teargas to stop low-paid contract employees of provincial education department here on Friday near Karachi Press Club from marching towards Chief Minister House. Al least 12 protestors were arrested.

The protestors belonging to various districts of Sindh had gathered at KPC on the call of All Sindh Education Department Lower Staff Association. They were demanding regularization of their jobs and payment of their outstanding salaries.

The protesters carrying placards and banners chanted slogans against Sindh Education Department. They wanted to march to the CM House, when police baton charged them and used teargas. Two protesters, Zulfiqar and Abdul Hameed, sustained injuries due to brutal baton charge. Police arrested about 12 protestors.

Earlier, dozens of contract employees including watchmen, peon and gardeners in grade-1 to 4 of Education & Literacy Department Sindh, continued their sit-in on the 3rd consecutive day outside Karachi Press Club against non-regularization of jobs.

President of All Sindh Education Department Lower Staff Association Darya Khan Jamali said that the Sindh Government had appointed some 7187 non-teaching staff member in the year 2007 on three-year contract in different government-run schools and colleges all over Sindh.

He said that after massive protest from the lower staff the Sindh Minister for Education and Literacy Department Pir Mazhar-ul-Haq had assured them for regularization of their jobs, but the government so far has not regularized the employees. He said the government has also stopped salaries of contract basis employees working in Karachi, Hyderabad and other parts of the Sindh.

Darya Khan said that the association had tried many times to hold meeting with Sindh Minister for Education and Secretary Education for solution to this issue but they refused to meet them.

He said that the police on Friday again restored baton charge on them, also using teargas. He said the police arrested 12 members of their association. He said that the non-teaching staff would continue protest till notification is issued from the government for their job regularization. He urged upon the government to immediately release the arrested protestors.

Darya Khan warned if the government did not accept their demands they would besiege the Sindh Assembly on Saturday.