HYDERABAD: Several hundred lady health workers (LH Ws) and employees of the national immunisation programme and other related initiatives attended their annual convention titled `Campaign against stolen wages` organised here on Saturday by the All Sindh Lady Health Workers and Employees Association in collaboration with the Workers Education and Research Organisation (Wero) and the Public Services International (PSI).

Leaders of the organisations presented a charter of demands mainly focusing on the safety and security of the field staff engaged for vaccination against polio, disbursement of the salaries and allowances of all such workers on a regular basis and immediate payment of their dues outstanding against the department concerned for more than four years.

Haleema Leghari and Shama Gulani, the president and general secretary of the association, respectively, Wero executive director Mir Zulfiqar Ali and PSI office-bearers spoke at the convention and highlighted grievances of the workers and demanded that their issues be resolved on a priority basis.

They said that the provincial government had repeatedly assured the workers of timely payment of salaries and allowances but most of them were not being obliged as per the promise. They said that a large number of workers had not been paid their dues since July 2012 while the department concerned had failed to disburse the allowances certain workers were entitled to since 2011.

Presenting a charter of demand, the leaders called for a revision of workers` scales as per their updated e ducational qualifications.They also urged the government to pay off the dues relating to the fuel and vehicle maintenance allowance outstanding against it since 2011.

Among the other demands, one pertained to the grant of maternity leave and medical facilities to lady health workers as per the prescribed rules and regulations.

Another demand pertained to the grant of pension and gratuity as per eachemployee`s entitlement.

They said that the anti-polio campaign workers should also be given compensation in the case of attacks on their life. The bereaved families of those workers who are killed and the workers who are wounded in the line of duty deserved to be suitably compensated, according to the leaders.

They also urged the government to ensure proper security of the field staff during theanti-polio and other such campaigns, besides protection to them against sexual harassment at their workplaces. They said that the tasks assigned to the staff of national immunisation programmes should be in accordance with the prescribed policy.

The participants in the convention came from all districts of Sindh. The convention also featured a musical programme held at the end of the event.