The janitorial staff, student body and some faculty members at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) on Monday held a protest demonstration against withholding of one month salaries of janitors and the non-existence of any labour laws for the janitors working at the university, Pakistan Today has learnt.
HISTORY:
Since the start of this academic year, the LUMS administration has been at the receiving end of some heavy criticism at the hands of its student body and some members of the faculty over indiscriminate violation of labour policies, especially with regards to the janitorial staff.
The issue dates back to September 2012 when the student body raised a voice for the rights of janitors, who were being paid a salary of Rs 7,500 per month, well below the minimum wage of Rs 9,000. In addition, the students demanded that the university administration enter into a contractual agreement with the lower staff; in essence providing job security to the underprivileged part of the LUMS community so that they were not laid off without a notice period and were entitled to Employees’ Old-Age Benefits (EOBI).
The administration took notice of the protest and called for an open house session in which the Vice Chancellor (VC) heard the grievances of the students and tried to come to an agreement to pacify the situation.
JANITORS FIRED:
Sources in the student body told Pakistan Today, that the administration eventually accepted the demand of paying the janitorial staff the minimum wage but the redressal came at a cost. In order to equalise its expenses, they laid off around 25 janitors- a move that outraged some students who saw the dismissal as an outright violation of labour laws and human rights.
A well-placed source among the faculty told Pakistan Today that the redundant janitors saved the university a meagre sum of Rs 176,000 per month only, but took away the livelihood of dozens of families.
“Yes they agreed to pay them the minimum wage, but made redundant around 30 janitors, thereby spending the same amount of money they were doing so previously,” said Asghar Leghari, a concerned law major, while talking to Pakistan Today.
“The administrations does not own the decision as its own because they have outsourced the janitorial staff to an independent contractor, and claim that the contractor took the decision to fire them,” said Mughees Jamal, another student actively raising a voice for the rights of the less privileged.
FROZEN SALARIES:
Following the lay-off, the administration changed their contractor. During the transition, one month salaries of janitors had been frozen owing to a “technicality”, a source seeking anonymity told Pakistan Today.
The backlog had not been cleared by the administration for months, putting the janitors through misery, until yesterday when the students and janitors staged a sit-in outside the VC’s office to protest against the injustice. Eventually, janitors were paid their dues yesterday, in what turned out to be a small victory for those fighting for the cause.
However, most believe that the issue is not just limited to frozen salaries and their eventual release, but is much deeper than that.
“MBM, our new contractors, estimated the number of janitors required for the expanding student body to be around 105 but our administration insists that they need only 75,” said Jamal. He was of the view that this understaffing puts extra pressure on the existing workers, who were already surviving at the mercy of the administration, not knowing whether they would still have a job the next day.
FACULTY PERSPECTIVE:
Assistant Professor in the Law and Policy Department Asad Farooq while talking to Pakistan Today said, “The university is expanding, the student body has more than doubled and yet somehow we need less janitors than before”. Redundancy, according to him, was a major problem. However, he was more concerned with the fact that this part of the LUMS community had “no written contract” and were “sacked at will” without any notice period.
The major demand of the LUMS community regarding contractual agreements with janitors remains unmet, despite the administration facing severe pressure from all quarters.
According to Professor Farooq, the administration has been dragging the issue for months, making false promises and hiding behind the independent contractors for not being able to materialise their promises.
“This is classical neoliberal policy right in front of you, where the employer can do whatever they want. It has become like a master-slave relationship and even before we go into the legality of it, we must look at it from an ethical perspective,” he said. “Is this acceptable to us as a community? This is downright exploitation where the workers remain under constant pressure over fear of losing their job the next day,” he said. “We’re not setting a good example for our students,” he added. “They are planning to lay off several more workers,” said Farooq.
FIRING-IN-STEPS:
Several female janitors, while talking to Pakistan Today, said that instead of directly firing them, their contractors had come up with a new way to get rid of them. “They tell us we’re being transferred to work at Hyperstar (a super market which uses the same contractor, MBM) against our will. When we go there, the place is already full and there is no work for us. Eventually, in a couple of days we are laid off,” they said.
A large number of students had gathered outside the Pepsi Dining Centre last evening to protest against a complete lack of labour laws for a certain class of LUMS employees.
When asked for his take on the matter, LUMS General Administration Director Col Amir flatly refused to answer any question saying the matter was an internal one and there was no need for anyone outside the LUMS community to fret over it.
gr8
gr8
I am at LUMS as a student and this is another fabricated storm. A few students, maybe a dozen, keep raising this again and again I do not know why. I think LUMS has bent backwards on this issue again and again and I am tired of a few rotten apples in LUMS students trying to paint our whole community as bad. I have really never seen anyone as concerned and caring about everyone from the lowest to the highest as the people who lead LUMS whether it is Syed Babar Ali or the VC.
Students – maybe just a dozen – unite to give the janitorial staff a voice.
The voice, far from being revolutionary or demanding a radical upheaval of the system, calls for formalizing the engagement in the form of a written contract, demands minimum wage (not a merit based increment but the bare minimum that is legally required to be paid), and asks for a employee old age benefits.
How exactly is this painting the university in a bad light? As a reader, I find a lot of hope in this article and in this university.
Totally agreed , Im a LUMS alumna myself , the poeple who have disliked your comment are just of not getting into LUMS
great way to malign my school
gr8
gulloo u rock
Another non-bews about a non-issue
The attitude of the people against this news shows how backward Pakistan is in terms of human rights awareness. Change starts at the bottom and we can forget about defending the rights of others if we aren't even concerned about our janitors. In developed countries janitors are paid more than a lot of administrative staff because they are doing work which is necessary but dangerous to their health.
No one is against news or against janitors, but what if the news is just wrong and made up. That is the problem, yellow journalism.
I am not a lums student. But I know how private sector works.Private sector is always lean and mean in taking care of expenses.This is not a govt enterprise where tax payer's money is used with no regard. Students must not interfere in the affair of administration . I live in USA and have seen lot of private administration. If students intervene, they would be expelled from the university. Students job is to take care of their studies and pay their tuition fee. No less no more.
Lol – I am sure your fascist tendencies are also a result of staying in the US 😛 — in re 'students will be expelled from the university if they interfere'. Interestingly, I am in the US as well and study at a pvt institution too; I have seen multiple protests, rallies and gatherings against the administration, yet not a single expulsion :P.
What I believe: you are not a LUMS student.
What I don't believe: You live in the USA, have any idea about student involvement in political or internal affairs at American universities.
Thanks for your comment.
I will try to answer you step by step. You do not believe I live in USA.So what kind of proof do you want? Which will convince you? My American passport/ social security #/ my American address both office or home address? You write down your tel # and I can make call from America to convince you for above mentioned.
Next issue or question. My three children have gone to American universities and I have the first hand knowledge how universities work. How hard the students have to work. I have not seen any strike in the universities for the last twenty yrs. 90% of the students take loans for their studies in usa
vs in Pakistan, 90% students fees are paid by the parents.In Pakistan , these students engage more in politics and less in studies because parents are footing the bill. American student has taken the loan to study so he wants to finish the job on time and then he has to pay back that loan.
If I would be student at present in Lums, I will be least worried about Janitors' issue because I came to Lums for my studies not for the sake of Janitors.
If any student is so worried about them, he can make a company( he can incorporate) and then bid for this job. He can pay janitors any amount he wants . Rs 20000 or 30000 per month. That will be his decision.
By the way grass always looks greener on the other side of the road.
I hope this information will help you to be mentally mature and you will look at life in a different way, which could help you in the short and long run.
Students at the best and most prestigious American universities protest things all the time.
http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2012/11/27/uc-be…
to all the lums students passing this off as a fabricated issue, one that is not a big deal because lums is a private enterprise: i am a lums alumni and current employee as well and not directly part of the movement in favor of the janitors. i would LOVE for one of you to have the guys to speak to the janitors one day and see for yourself whether this issue is fabricated or otherwise. these are REAL people with REAL concerns, constantly living in the harrowing world of job insecurity (we know how much lums students complain and bitch about "not finding a good enough job" after getting our fancy degrees–lets stop with the hypocrisy?)
ALSO: so what if lums is a private enterprise? are we calling breaking labor laws "cost-cutting mechanisms" now? sounds like the PR mantra of exploitative MNCs all over the world, you should work for them! When Nike employs kids in the third world to cut costs, WE RAISE A HUE AND CRY ABOUT IT because it is plain WRONG and UNETHICAL to allow Nike to hide behind its sub-contractor because we expect Nike to operate within certain moral bounds. The same SHOULD be said for LUMS which pretends to be a beacon of light in a country tainted by corruption and flouting the law, etc. LUMS talks big and needs to act now–in a way that is fair and ethical and right.
lastly: before you get worried about "your university being maligned" (truly heart-wrenching)–go talk to a janitor who is supporting a family of 7 and was only paid rs600 so far this month.
and get the hell over yourselves.
as a lums alumna i am proud of my fellow lums community (students, faculty, janitorial staff) for taking a stand and fighting for their rights. the lums administration should be ashamed–they teach us great and important ideas but refuse to put them in action where it matters
Shame on those claiming LUMS is right to deny pay to its janitors! The LUMS vice chancellor has to be the most slimy of characters. He lies and lies to one's face. Good on the students for getting involved.
to all the lums students passing this off as a fabricated issue, one that is not a big deal because lums is a private enterprise: i am a lums alumni and current employee as well and not directly part of the movement in favor of the janitors. i would LOVE for one of you to have the guys to speak to the janitors one day and see for yourself whether this issue is fabricated or otherwise. these are REAL people with REAL concerns, constantly living in the harrowing world of job insecurity (we know how much lums students complain and bitch about "not finding a good enough job" after getting our fancy degrees–lets stop with the hypocrisy?)
I am a LUMS students and this was the first I heard of this, so I asked the lady who is the janitor at our hostel about this, and she said that this was nothing and actually sent me away saying the students are just doing politics and getting us janitors involved in it for no reason. I believe her more than anyone else in this.
As someone who knows the many students involved in this issue, I know that the female janitors have been difficult to speak to because they are not allowed to convene in a single room at the hostels and cannot get out to attend meetings that have been organized and held on a regular basis with all the janitors. Well done on speaking to ONE person and thinking you've got your facts straight.
Wake up call fellow LUMS students: Our bubble isn't as pretty as we think it is. Let's try and make things better at home before going off to our development sector jobs to save the godforsaken souls of other Pakistanis.
I am also a LUMS student and I think LUMS is generally good to everyone in the LUMS family, student, faculty and all staff low and high. If there is an issue on the janitors (and frankly I am not sure all stories of any side are always true) then it should be solved and I trust the University will do that, it always does. But I am really ashamed of the way in which a few students have tried to highjack this issue and the misbehavior they have done with everyone. The disgusting behavior of these students and turning LUMS into a streetfight is very depressing for many students.
Clearly you're misrepresenting facts or playing dumb. Rasula bibi was fired from the dorms last year and had plenty to say about her condition to ET (where a documentary on her financial situation was put up last year). The ayahs in the female dorms have been complaining for years about the ridiculous cost-cutting and labor conditions. I am appalled at the way you are misrepresenting facts. Shame on you!
As a LUMS Alumni, I must say that Pakistan Today's obsession with maligning the name and image of LUMS is completely unwarranted. It's ridiculous to see that such a biased article can even get published. Instead of resorting to these unjustified and cheap pressure tactics by interfering in the running of a private institue, the author and Pakistan today should have asked these basic questions :
1) Is LUMS a private institute? YES
2) Is LUMS reponsible for the handling of its own internal affars ( which includes and is not limited to Cost cutting)? YES
3) Is LUMS legally responsible for the outsourced workers ( Janitoris , Contractors)? NO!
Let me point out that we live in an imperfect world here. Organizations around the world , particularly organizations within Pakistan, are facing great and unprecedented challenges. Instead of Politicizing and and Singling one of the best instititions in Pakistan, I would have hoped that the author would perhaps ask some more objective questions before writing an utterly useless article. To list a few questions :
1) Has the level of Cleanliness in LUMS been affected i by the downsizing?
2) Who is responsible for running LUMS – A private entity ? the University Administrtion? the Student ? Or Aspiring Journalists ?
3) Can the student body or for that matter even anyone outside the LUMS Administration decide about things such as :
– How many teachers should be hired ?
– What should be the mix of Permanent and Visiting Faculty?
– How many non teching employees should be hired?
– What should be the mix of permanent and contractual employees?
4) Is LUMS complying with the Laws of Pakistan?
– If it isn't then why hasn't LUMS been taken to court?
As much as I appreciate freedom of speech and freedon of expression, I believe that LIBEL is a very serious matter. I sincerely hope that the LUMS administration takes Pakistan Today to court over gross MISREPRESENTATION and LIBEL.
I have been a LUMS student and I agree to the fact that janitors were being fired without any notice even in 2011. This is one huge issue, and it cannot stay hidden.
As far as LUMS' administration is concerned, it might have done some great things but this issue is not an exaggerated one. It is a serious issue and it is high time we voice our opinion against it. LUMS' administration cannot treat its lower staff like this. It is just shameful to think that such a huge institution have dealt so unfairly with its lower staff.
I have talked to the janitorial staff too and they are very worried about being laid off without prior notice and this issue has been there for about two to three years now. We must take some action. I appreciate the protest staged by the janitorial staff and the students.
In the interests of transparency it should be mentioned that Pakistan Today owes it freelancers months of back-pay and continues to lie to them.
I would like to ask why the moderators are not publishing my comments?
is it too offensive to the Pakistan Today administration?
As a LUMS Alumni, I must say that Pakistan Today's obsession with maligning the name and image of LUMS is completely unwarranted. It's ridiculous to see that such a biased article can even get published. Instead of resorting to these unjustified and cheap pressure tactics by interfering in the running of a private institue, the author and Pakistan today should have asked these basic questions :
1) Is LUMS a private institute? YES
2) Is LUMS reponsible for the handling of its own internal affars ( which includes and is not limited to Cost cutting)? YES
3) Is LUMS legally responsible for the outsourced workers ( Janitoris , Contractors)? NO!
Let me point out that we live in an imperfect world here. Organizations around the world , particularly organizations within Pakistan, are facing great and unprecedented challenges. Instead of Politicizing and and Singling one of the best instititions in Pakistan, I would have hoped that the author would perhaps ask some more objective questions before writing an utterly useless article. To list a few questions :
1) Has the level of Cleanliness in LUMS been affected i by the downsizing?
2) Who is responsible for running LUMS – A private entity ? the University Administrtion? the Student ? Or Aspiring Journalists ?
3) Can the student body or for that matter even anyone outside the LUMS Administration decide about things such as :
– How many teachers should be hired ?
– What should be the mix of Permanent and Visiting Faculty?
– How many non teching employees should be hired?
– What should be the mix of permanent and contractual employees?
4) Is LUMS complying with the Laws of Pakistan?
– If it isn't then why hasn't LUMS been taken to court?
As much as I appreciate freedom of speech and freedon of expression, I believe that LIBEL is a very serious matter. I sincerely hope that the
The entire point is that LUMS is not complying with Pakistani law. That's literally the whole point. It is illegal to withhold pay. It is illegal to pay someone less than the legal minimum wage. It is illegal to fire someone without prior notice. It is legal to publish news articles highlighting illegality and rampant exploitation in prominent sections of society. It is also legal to protest perceived injustice. It isn't illegal but it is very silly to accuse people of libel when you don't understand what legal issues are at stake here.
Secondly, LUMS is a private institution but that does not mean it is ethically the same as banks or other corporate entities. A university is a non-profit institution dedicated to the production of knowledge within the setting of an academic community. This means that students, faculty, and yes, unbelievably, janitorial staff and gardeners and cooks at the PDC all have a say in the affairs of LUMS. Also, since you are so spectacularly unaware of how universities or educational insitutions that are not money-making schemes work, yes, actually somebody outside the LUMS Admin is involved in faculty hiring. That somebody is other faculty. Similarly, if the faculty and students become involved in an important cause involving other non-teaching members of the campus community i.e janitors, then yes, they have a right to do so.
Finally a voice of reason! Well put, ghazal!
Owais. I too am an Alumni and currently work at LUMS as a research fellow and have defended LUMS to death against all sorts of ridiculous charges that people subject it to. This place has been a second home for me since 2004. It is precisely its stature and the immense respect I have for it that forces me to say that LUMS has a responsibility that goes beyond the bare minimum legal requirements placed upon it. During a discussion on this issue with the VC a participant mentioned that NIKE was subjected to a major PR crisis when the sweatshop scandal broke out in Indonesia. It was true that Nike had outsourced production to local middlemen but no one even remembers or cares who they were because the responsibility lies with bigger, influential institutions to set an example. And honestly if this does set a precedent then it will be one that forces, at the very least, higher education institutions to pay their janitors minimum wage and to give them standard contracts, or at least make it compulsory for the contractors to provide contracts. (there is a sad irony in the fact that they are called contractors). This is not really a bad thing. It doesn't make any employee indispensable but it does ensure that if/when they are fired, it is done as per a fair arrangement – maybe something like a months notice and salary. Not only is this necessary given the lack of economic safety nets and employment options available to janitors, but also preserves a certain amount of dignity, certainly more so than showing up one morning and being told that you are no longer required.
A closer eye on the matter would leave most of your concerns redundant. No one is saying that students or janitors themselves should control decisions regarding hiring/firing. That is at best an honest misinterpretation of the facts or perhaps a crude rhetorical tool to paint a counter narrative of injustice with the students and janitors as the perpetrators. But the idea is that everyone, regardless of the nature of their job, should have job security (different from job immortality). All this means is that they should be fired in a manner that 1)gives them enough room/time to transition, (2) allows them protect themselves from wrongful termination, (3) allows them to preserve some dignity whilst moving on. I keep stressing on dignity because that is honestly the only thing I have ever offered to them… casual conversation, offering them tea, sharing a smoke etc. Perhaps that is why i cannot indulge in a dispassionate delineation between public and private, and permanent and contractual.
Finally the idea that has been discussed in this thread about whether the admin is nice or evil. Quite a ridiculous binary in my opinion. Don't know too many people directly involved in this but I do know the VC quite well and often laugh when people accuse him of being evil and slimy. He has dedicated his life to development and academia and is very passionate about his field. He is teacher and mentor by nature, not just because he has to be. However, his role involves him balancing between institutional priorities and priorities of personnel. There are formal channels for institutional priorities to be communicated to him (or perhaps constantly bombarded at him) but avenues for the latter do not exist. That voice must come from agents on campus – students and staff being two such agents. Students will probably not be happy with anything other than the complete and unmitigated fulfillment of their demands (at least thats how i used to feel as a student) and institutional forces will press equally potently for their demands. I do believe the VC will balance these concerns to the best of his ability but it can only be an informed decision on his part if he is aware of the extent of the problem. 30 students sitting outside his office does communicate the extent of the problem.
As a favour to me, please consider the implications of your last question (question 4). Is responsibility to be equated to merely what is legally required? May i suggest that you never write a guide book on parenting, relationship management, conflict resolution or managing an on campus community consisting of diverse actors. I only offer this unsolicited advice since the world you desire might find you showing up to work and finding out that you no longer have a job. people under such distress often cling to anything they can find and who knows, you might errantly decide to write one of those books.
Lastly, and i have asked this question before as well, how is the notion that there is an argument on campus about the rights of janitors a scourge on the institution's image. The thought that there is enough space and freedom for two world views to be clashing with each other non-violently and seemingly constructively, should be a win for any higher education institution. Perhaps the enforced silence on some campuses and the echos of apathy on others in pakistan is more peaceful for the easily perturbed.
Regards,
A very very concerned Alumni who feels indebted to this institution for a lot more than just his degree
1) Yes, cleanliness HAS been effected and janitors are now also fined for any complaints coming from their respective cleaning zones. Decresing cleanliness, more complaints.
2 and 3) If there really is a 'LUMS community,' shouldn't students have some sort of stake in these decisions too, if not the final say?
4) No LUMS is not. Keeping employees unclassified, or as daily wagers, and not giving them written contracts are classic ways private organizations in Pakistan avoid tax and pension obligations.
P.S- Facts, i.e., information proved to be true, is a bona fide defence against libel and defamation.
-LUMS Law Student
1) Where are you getting these numbers from? If this is public information, then please provide the links/sources to this information
For 2) & 3) ."The administration took notice of the protest and called for an open house session in which the Vice Chancellor (VC) heard the grievances of the students and tried to come to an agreement to pacify the situation.".
The students are an integral part of the community and the LUMS Administration does give them an ample chance to speak.
This is evident from the fact that LUMS has an active student council, it holds regular Open House Sessions, Allows Students to Protests, and allows Students to Lead Pakistan's Best Run and perhaps the most vibrant Sociteties.
4) This is a very serious allegation. If you are alleging that LUMS is not complying with Rules and Regulations of Pakistan, then take them to COURT not Newspapers!
Last time I checked, everyone was Innocent until Proven Guilty. Therefore either backup your claims by admissible evidence, WIN your lawsuit against LUMS or Stop making baseless allegations on public forums.
This practice does constitute Libel and Defamation.
P..S : Contracting works like this :> Company A sing a contract with Company B against any service. Company B provides the service ( which in this case is Human Resource). Company B manages and charges for the service it provides.
Are you stupid? Or are you plain dumb? Cuz it seems like you have no idea of the law surrounding this issue or the facts this author is pointing out. LUMS is breaking the law. Look it up before you start using fancy terms like 'libel'.
masood – minumin wage is a law of the land? there are some labour laws which even in the private ship of lums apply. also, there are some ethical standards which we may want to begin to assert if we want to create a healthy society…
Qalandar – Minimum wage is a violation, but Downsizing certainly isnt.. Dude what healthy society are you talking about? currently there are only a handful institutions within Pakistan which are surviving, let alone thriving. LUMS is trying to sustain itself and not become a burden on the society, by taking the necessary steps to reduce costs.
Downsizing maybe 'ugly;'immoral', and 'unethical' but it is a desperate measure .
It's not LUMS' responsibility to look after the welfare of the people of Pakistan, because last time I checked, that was something the Government was responsible for.
If you have to protest or speak up against, then do it against the Government for not looking after the economy, health, education, energy etc etc.
These gross misrepresentations and defamation attempts are unwarranted. If there is a legal issue against LUMS, then take it in the court of law NOT in PRESS!
Most of the "lefty-wearing-a-gucci" LUMS students are pro-PPP. How will they protest against the government??
But LUMS IS giving more than minimum wage to the janitors and other employees. This matter was settled months ago. No where else in Pakistan have I ever seen janitors or other staff treated as family as it is at LUMS. Only the other day I saw Syed Babar Ali as well as many women janitors eating breakfast at PDC at the same time. Dare you to show me anything like that anywhere.
m-bm, owned by wasim ilyas who is also the owner of a number of textile factories. (http://pk.linkedin.com/pub/waseem-ilyas/16/469/6a3)
the thing about unskilled labor is that it is exploited by everyone. even if lums raised the salaries, m-bm would be the one gaining as i'm sure it still is (its no non profit). even if you get labor laws for these janitors, m-bm will be the one gaining eventually.
instead of criticizing LUMS, why dont any students or alumni make a new company, since you guys have so many disgruntled janitors listening to you and the education to manage such a company, and rid these poor janitors off exploitation
For all those thinking that this article or this initiative's purpose is to bring a bad name to LUMS, let me correct you. Even good institutions can make mistakes and go wrong. That is what has happened in LUMS. As someone who has been involved in this issue, let me clarify that the students took up this issue after we collected AMPLE evidence that LUMS is at fault. Not paying workers on time, especially those whose salaries amount to a mere 9000 rupees, is not the sort of behaviour we expect from such an institution. If this university really is a community, then we ought to stand up and protect those who are being marginalized in our community. The janitorial staff are valuable members of our community and for them to be treated in ways that are so inhumane and exploitative is something that all of us should be against. Providing contracts to workers is their BASIC right because it guarantees them job security and certain basic benefits. This is not even something that can be considered very radical. What the janitors are demanding is their FUNDAMENTAL right.
. This institution holds a lot of prestige both locally and internationally and it becomes imperative that the institution must comply with at least basic standards of human rights! We are talking about a 100 families here. It is unimaginable for most of us to even place ourselves in their shoes and to be denied the basic dignity and respect that these people are being denied
Let me mention again to all those who are concerned about LUMS' image,- isn't the fact that so many students and faculty members have gathered together to stand up for the rights of those who are marginalized illustrative of the fact that LUMS does have something to be proud of-a student body that is sincere and committed to all those principles that they learn in these very classrooms? I'd say if anything, that sheds a positive image upon the values that we are being taught at this institution!
Sometimes it can be the students who can correct the wrongs that are happening in their institution. Good institutions can have problems within them and if we really are a community, we can all correct each other where things go wrong. Bravo to the author for writing such a brilliant article!
GULLOO IS OSUM
haha thank you ejaz khanjar
Qadir – who told you lums was paying more than the minimum wage? Only the other day the vc said to us in the meeting over the janitor issue: ‘aap logon nay karlia hangama? Lums mein kaafi aisa bhi staff tha jo k janitors say kam pay laita tha aaj wo bhi apnay ‘haq’ ki baat karta hai’ and mind you they were paying the janitors 7,000 (below the minimum wage, which was 9,000). Dare you show me any thing like that anywhere.
moderator please? Love you kthanksbye.
Moderator?
This reads like a one-sided press release from the few people protesting rather than a balanced news report which would at least try to also get info on the other side
it tried. and colonel aamir, god bless him, told him to go away and didn't answer any questions. or didn't you read that part?
This article restores my faith in LUMS community and I can safely say that something somewhere within LUMS continues to move in the right direction. As luminites, it is our duty to rise against injustice and practice what we learn. Janitorial staff should be treated with respect and should have permanent contractual employment. These are legitimate demands and must be met.
The fact that students are supporting staff articulate these demands is not a matter of shame but a matter or pride. There is nothing wrong in giving voice to the weak, and if LUMS students are doing so then LUMS should be proud of them and flaunt this as an achievement, because it shows that LUMS truly is grooming future leaders of Pakistan.
We have always aspired to be the best university in the world , and it makes logical sense that we demonstrate that in every way, including how we treat our staff.
LUMS administration is really mean as any other private business.
Wow! This article reminded me of my nostalgia with the Left when I used to be in Uni. I saw similar shades on students faces in the pic attached on top of this article the way I used to have. Being a rich kid in your early 20s, its normal esp when you have a lot of some great uninspiring teachers skimming through text books in front of you (since they are happy in their glass houses) whereas here you are having such a big vision with a die-hard urge to change things yet cannot do anything and remain sitting in the corner like a toothless tiger. Guess what, I am no more a lefty now and supports liberal economic policies but what I learnt from my lefty "childhood" is that compassion is what is most required even above all of the money making stuff. I salute to those students who have raised their voices for these Jaintors. just wish they will do the same 10 years on when they will have turned too complacent, bureaucratic, chauvinistic and indifferent while sitting in their cubical in the office of some MNC!!
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