Balochistani government : workers demonstrate in favor of a 30 percent discrepancy reduction allowance

Balochistani government: Road blockades and arrests resulted from demonstrations by government workers in Balochistan, Pakistan, calling for the implementation of the Disparity Reduction Allowance (DRA), according to local media.

For the last seven months, workers from different government ministries have been staging rallies to seek 30% DRA, just as it has been given in the provinces of Punjab and Sindh.

Workers from a variety of industries participated in the demonstration organized by the Balochistan Grand Alliance (BGA). According to The Balochistan Post, they have said that despite being in the same grade as employees in other government agencies, staff in establishments such as the High Court, the Governor’s House, and the Chief Minister’s Secretariat have received greater remuneration.

The BGA emphasized the need of resolving this compensation gap and emphasized that the DRA has already been proposed by the committee that the Balochistan government constituted. But as of now, the CM of Balochistan has done nothing about the problem.

More than 50 workers have allegedly been detained as part of the Balochistan government’s crackdown on protest organizers in response for the demonstrations.

In the past, 38 government college instructors and assistant professors were suspended for taking part in the demonstration.

Employee demonstrations have escalated in reaction to the government’s measures, resulting in large deportations, strikes, and traffic blocks. On Monday, workers in places like Khuzdar, Lasbela, and Nasirabad blocked important roadways that link Quetta to Karachi, Taftan, Gwadar, and Sindh, causing traffic to stop.

According to the BGA, demonstrations will take place in stages. On January 14, roads will be blocked, and on January 15, all government buildings in Balochistan will be shut down.

The BGA said that a sit-in close to Quetta’s Red Zone is scheduled on January 20, marking the protest’s last phase. If the government does nothing, the workers have threatened to start a “Jail Bharo” (Fill the Jails) campaign.

38 assistant professors and lecturers, including six female instructors from different college departments, were previously suspended by the Balochistani administration for three months for their involvement in strikes and rallies, according to local media on Monday.

The chief secretary of Balochistan said in a notification that the suspended teachers were accused of violating government rules and regulations and that the action was taken under the Balochistan Employees’ Efficiency and Discipline Act (BEDA) for taking part in a strike, locking down government offices, and interfering with official work.

Citing authorities, Abdul Qudoos Kakar, the leader of the Balochistan Grand Alliance, a group of government workers who have been leading the protest movement for days over a number of demands pertaining to workers’ rights, is among those suspended, according to the Balochistan Post.

Employee organizations condemned the government’s action, describing the suspensions as an attempt to stifle the right to demonstrate and cautioning that punishing teachers would increase tensions between the government and its workers.