LG employees suspend protest for 4 days after talks

PESHAWAR: Employees of the Capital Metropolitan Government Peshawar on Wednesday suspended the protest for four days after senior officials assured them a solution to their problems.

Earlier, the employees again came out of their offices on Dilzak Road as part of the protest to demand salaries and pensions. Chanting slogans against the provincial government and the metropolitan administration, they walked to the KP Assembly and staged a rally there.

The traffic on Khyber Road was disrupted as long lines of vehicles were seen on the busy route. The police officials and officers from the Capital Metropolitan Government arrived at the scene and tried to persuade the union leaders to end the protest and enter into negotiations with the secretary of the Local Council Board.

However, the employees refused to end the protest and continued as planned. After remaining there for some time, they returned to their office.Speaking at the protest camp, United Municipal Workers Union Chairman Malik Muhammad Naveed Awan and Mazdoor Ittihad Chairman Qaiser Bacha said no positive steps had been taken despite their demands for the payment of salaries and pensions.

The protesters demanded the elimination of corruption from the department, effective monitoring of funds, and the immediate release of the fire brigade staff arrested in Islamabad.They said the administration wanted to stop the employees from protesting, but neither the employees nor their leadership have paid heed to this.

Later, the secretary of the Local Council Board and other officials visited the protest camp and listened to the demands of the protesting employees.After the discussions between the protesters’ leaders and the officials and the subsequent assurance, the ongoing strike was postponed for four days.