MIRPURKHAS: A large number of lady health workers (LHWs) held a demonstration outside the local press club demanding disbursement of their three months’ salaries and other dues.

The demonstration was organised by the Health Workers’ Association. The protesters kept raising slogans against the provincial government and its relevant department for failing to release their salaries for the last three months. They threatened to stay away from the ongoing anti-polio drive and stop other services if their salaries were not immediately released and other genuine demands were not met.

The protesters led by Huma Shaikh, Shireen Rajar, Farida Agha and Parveen Leghari blocked the nearby section of the main Hyderabad-Mirpurkhas Road disrupting flow of vehicular traffic for around three hours.

City DSP Ayub Dars and Dr Hamza Ali held negotiations with the leaders but they refused to end their protest. Later, some senior officials of the health department joined the talks and held out the assurance that their salaries would released soon after the ongoing round of the anti-polio drive and other demands would also be considered on merit.

On this assurance, the protesters dispersed peacefully.

Published in Dawn, September 15th, 2017