The Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association on Saturday held an online meeting of the executive committee discussing the legitimate issues of the faculty members employed at public sector varsities across the country.
Dr. Nek Muhammad Shaikh, central present FAPUAS chaired the meeting and General Secretary Dr. Shahid Iqbal presented the issues. In the meeting, it was unanimously agreed that HEC should include FAPUASA in all meetings, decisions, policymaking, and rules formulation related to the Higher Education Institutions.
An email has been sent to HEC executive director to include all the stakeholders in HES’s meetings including the upcoming pay and pension committee meeting to be held on July 15. The HEC letter to extend the relaxation in the post-PhD experience was rejected. This letter is against the spirit of the decision taken in the meeting on June 15.
The HEC had agreed to decide until September 2021 and failing to do so shall result in the post-PhD experience remaining waived off. However, the HEC has twisted the issue. The FAPUASA urged the HEC to opt the time-scale promotion for BPS faculty members as the universities are awarding time-scale promotions to their non-teaching staff. This dual policy against the BPS faculty member was rejected.
When a TTS faculty member is promoted to the associate or professor level the vacant associate or professor posts are considered filled by the HEC and the university administration. This blocks the future of BPS faculty members. The FAPUASA urged that TTS and BPS are two different paths. Therefore, BPS positions must not be considered filled due to TTS promotions. Formulation of BPS Service Structure is the only sustainable solution to these problems. The house unanimously rejected the HJRS system introduced by the HEC.
The association demands the HEC to write to the respective provincial finance ministries for 25% increment in salaries, as per announcement of the government in March 2021. Similarly, the technical allowance (1.5 times of basic pay) should be approved for all the engineering universities as all engineers and other departments have been allowed this allowance. The TTS salaries are stagnant since 2015 and 50% increase in the TTS salaries was recommended. The proposed revised salary and increment structure for TTS was unanimously rejected.
It was suggested that the TTS salaries should be linked to the federal budget to avoid such problems in future. FAPUASA strongly urged that both BPS and TTS faculty members should participate in all its meetings. Soon one representative from BPS and TTS faculty members will be included in the executives from the respective chapters.
These members will work on the problems of their respective faculty members and present these in FAPUASA meeting. The house also agreed on arranging such meetings regularly so that problems of the faculty can be addressed in a better manner. It was strongly urged that regular input from both BPS and TTS faculty members will help FAPUASA to fight for the legitimate rights of the faculty at every forum. FAPUASA owns the entire faculty of the HEIs in the country and shall continue to lead the struggle for the rights of the faculty without any discrimination.
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