Muzaffarabad [POK], March 29 : The employees of the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) program, an integrated health program, held a protest raising their issues of salary hike and firing without notice at the capital city of Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK).
The protesters complained that the department was not raising their salaries in due time and had even fired several employees without notice.
During the protest, a female protester who is a mother herself stated, "I have my kids to feed, they have not gone to schools for the last six months, because I am not able to provide for their education. Due to low salary, I cannot manage their education any time soon. We are poor and we have to manage other expenses too. My daughters were forced to work as house helps for others as we had no other options."
Another female protester said that many of them have been working for MNCH for 15 years now and there are at least 1242 employees that have been fired without notice. She further said that they have not been given salaries in the past nine months.
She said, "We are sitting here despite Ramzan fast, because we feel there is no other option. Many of us have been working for MNCH for 15 years now and there are at least 1242 employees that have been fired without notice. Additionally, we have not received any salaries in the last nine months."
"In Pakistan, this project has been transferred to a normal pay grade. Many of our co-workers are widows and poor. Hence we are also demanding that this project be shifted on the same pay grade in POK. We have been protesting here for the last 17 days but no one from the authorities has come here to hear our grievances. We now face problems relating to managing food for our families. And it is becoming difficult day by day," she added.
Similar issues were raised by another MNCH worker who had been a part of the health program for the last 10 years.
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