KOHAT: Due to unnecessary delay in convening of the senate meeting for the appointment of a full-time vice-chancellor of Kohat University of Science and Technology (Kust) and raise in salaries, the class-IV employees are on indefinite strike since last month, which has been affecting administrative work in the university.

Last time the class-IV employees had ended their strike on the assurance of MPA Ziaullah Bangash for the acceptance of their demands by the administration.

Their main demands were accepted five years ago by then administration that requested for another three months to approve it in December last. However, the issue is yet to be resolved. Talking to Dawn, acting vice-chancellor Dr Fida Younis Khattak said that both the employees association and the office it had established on the campus were illegal. “I will talk to only those who have no affiliation with the association.

Under the rules the employees can’t form an association in the university,” he said, adding that the employees wanted to blackmail the administration and he had made this clear to the jirga of Qaumi Tehreek.

The employees have been demanding 10 per cent increase in their salaries and holding of one draw for Haj instead of conducting separate draws for grade 1-16 employees and grade 17 and above officers.

“Keeping in view their increased strength the quota of class-IV employees should be increased,” he said.

Strike by low-paid staff affecting administrative work

When contacted, Kust registrar Azad Khattak said that all the striking employees were being marked absent from duty.

“The university can send only two people on Haj every year. However, their demand has been sent to the syndicate which will take a decision about it,” Mr Azad said. He claimed that a group of striking employees were forcibly taking others from their offices for participation in the protest which had badly affected the office work. He said that classes were being held regularly.

A Kust official told Dawn that the acting VC had sent a summary to the governor for 10 per cent increase in wages of the employees, but the senate meeting was being delayed for unknown reasons. It is regretted that the government could not select an experienced educationist in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to run the affairs of the Kust among dozens of capable persons for appointing him as VC.

Sources said that reminders after reminders were being sent to the governor – the chancellor of all the university – for holding of senate meeting to resolve the issue, but so far they had not received a single reply from the Governor House in the last five months. They said that the acting VC had limited powers and he could not approve increase in salaries.

The agenda for the senate body meeting had already been arranged which now only required sanction by the governor, said an official requesting anonymity. He said that under the circumstances two remedies were possible either to reappoint the retired VC or to make the acting one permanent.

The sources said that former VC Dr Nasir Jamal Khattak had been facing an inquiry by the Higher Education Commission for nepotism and allegations of financial anomalies during his tenure.

Published in Dawn, March 26th, 2015

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