Malakand University employees are protesting against the notification to dismiss 146 employees fired on August 5, 2022. The employees say that it is a complete injustice to them and that the dismissal of 146 people is equivalent to taking away bread from their families and children.
In 2022, the education budget was cut by more than 50 per cent, and educational institutions have been asked to meet their expenses. This means that, on the one hand, institutions increase fees to cover their costs, and on the other hand, they reduce costs by laying off employees. The same is being done at Malakand University.
Currently, 146 contract and daily wages employees have been laid off, and the university administration plans to lay off more employees in the coming months, alongside increasing tuition fees. Staff and students are standing by the dismissed employees and fully responding against the anti-employee actions of the university administration and the government. The Malakand University Teachers’ Association has shown solidarity with the affected staff members – this is a welcoming development towards workers’ unity.
Currently, many staff and student movements are ongoing in different universities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province against non-payment of salaries, dismissals, fee hikes and other issues. What is needed is a united struggle of all workers and students from all institutions against the anti-employee measures of the government and the IMF.
Pakistan Trade Union Solidarity strongly supports the demands of the employees of Malakand University. It demands that the provincial government not only reinstate all the sacked employees as soon as possible but also give them permanent employment contracts.
