KOTLI (Kashmir English): Government employees in Kotli, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), staged a massive protest against pension reforms, demanding their reversal and the regularisation of ad-hoc staff, today on Monday February 10, 2025. The Kotli government employees protest warned of a pen-down strike if their demands were not met, urging the Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwar-ul-Haq, to take notice and an immediate action.
Government employees across various departments took to the streets in protest against the pension reforms. Shouting slogans against the Azad Kashmir government, employees abandoned their offices and marched through the city, demanding the immediate reversal of the reforms.
The demonstrators, led by the All Employees Federation, completed a citywide march before concluding their protest at Kalma Chowk. They voiced strong opposition to the 2016 Cadre Act and rejected the proposed Unity Allowance.
The protestors stated that they would not rest until their demands were met. The recently approved pension reforms were deemed unacceptable by the protesters. Additionally they demanded that the ad-hoc employees must be regularised immediately and that the time-scale promotions should be granted without delay.
The ad-hoc workers are the employees employed temporarily to cover openings. They usually frequently get combined pay, and their appointment letter specifies the terms of their employment.
The employees emphasised their dedication to public service but warned the government against unfair treatment. They threatened a complete pen-down strike if their demands were not fulfilled.
The protest has participation from employees across the district, including a significant presence of women, particularly Lady Health Workers (LHWs) and Lady Health Visitors (LHVs) of AJK. The demonstrators urged PM AJK to take immediate notice of their concerns, listen to them and address their demands.
The Unity Allowance is a financial bonus or incentive given to government workers, intended to maintain pay parity among various departments or cadres. Workers in Azad Kashmir are demonstrating against it and believe that it falls short of their demands and is unfair to them.
