VC, Janitors And Provost: Discussion Around LUMS Staff Policies Intensifies On Twitter

The LUMS management and its relationship with janitorial staff is once again in the spotlight on social media, as social media users have taken to Twitter to compare the university’s treatment of its senior figures with that of its workers. As demands for justice for the janitorial staff at LUMS rise again, social media users have turned the spotlight on the privileges and perks afforded to figures such as the Vice Chancellor (VC) of the university – who, they claim, makes “75 lakh” (Rs. 7.5 million per month). Meanwhile, janitors are paid around Rs. 18,000 per month.

A number of LUMS students and alumni have in the past expressed solidarity with janitorial staff in their disputes with the university management, taking the view that the elite institution has an exploitative attitude towards such workers.

This month, social media discussion on LUMS policies towards its staff intensified after provost Dr Farhat Haq left the university, leading to controversy: some claimed that she had been fired, while an email from Vice-Chancellor Dr. Arshad Ahmad claimed that Dr Haq had “moved on from LUMS” and resigned. As the first female to hold this role at LUMS, Dr. Haq was selected after a rigorous international search process and a unanimous recommendation by the widely represented Search Committee.