ISLAMABAD: Hundreds of Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) daily wagers on Monday once again decided to observe a strike from today (Tuesday) hoping to seek attention of authorities concerned towards their plight. A large number of FDE daily wagers gathered outside the FDE building and chanted slogans in favour of their demands, seeking job regularization as well as release of their pending salaries, as they have not been being paid since June last year. The employees also announced to boycott classes at all educational institutes under the FDE. Currently, the FDE has 423 educational institutes in which hundreds of thousands of students are enrolled. A FDE, who wished not to be named, said that the call for strike on this stage would badly students study performance and their results as the annual examinations were going to be held after a couple of months. “The authorities should take the issue seriously,” he suggested. There are over 2,000 daily wagers in various teaching and non-teaching cadres. According to the protesting employees, salaries of teaching cadre employees were pending since August last year, while non-teaching staff was working without salaries since June. So far, the FDE daily wagers had staged many demonstrations and strikes but of no avail despite the fact that several forums, including Supreme Court, lower courts and standing committees of both the houses had issued directives for regularisations of the employees. Moreover, a Committee by Syed Khursid Shah of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) for Regularisation of Contractual Employees in 2009 directed for regularisations of more than 100,000 daily wagers, who had been working at various federal departments and ministries. A few years ago, as per the information, the Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) Ministry regularised thousands of employees in the light of the committee recommendations in Polyclinic, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) and other allied departments. Furthermore, after coming into power in 2013, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government regularised over 11,000 employees of various cadres working in different federal entities. Beside, in two different notifications on December 12 and December 22 last year, a copy of which is available with Daily Times, the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training also confirmed regularisation of 63 employees having cadres of assistant field officer, assistant director, deputy director and director. However, the issue remains unresolved. Some of the daily wagers had also approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to seek justice. The IHC declared daily wagers’ appointment illegal as the posts were filled without giving advertisements. At the same time the court said that it was failure of federal government in taking timely measures for regularisation of the employees. The IHC, moreover, directed the federal government to consider and make appropriate decisions in accordance with the law relating to the fate of such petitioners (daily wagers). On the other hand, the FDE daily wagers filed an intra-court appeal in IHC to seek justice. They, according to the sources, also decided to approach Supreme Court if they fail to get relief. A senior official in the CADD Ministry privy to all official matters of Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chauhdry alleged that the minister was not in the favour of regularisation of the employees. “The minister wants to make political appointments by replacing these daily wages employees predominantly”. Despite repeated attempts Dr Chauhdry could not be approached to get his version over the matter. However, acting FDE Director General Hasnat Qureshi said that a summary vetted by the CADD for payment of due salaries of the employees was tabled before the Finance Ministry, which would be approved soon. “I am personally pursing the case of outstanding salaries as it is the right of the employees,” he claimed. When asked about the regularisation of the employees, Qureshi said, “We are reviewing this matter very seriously in consultation with the CADD.” Published in Daily Times, January 9th 2017.