Punjab shakes up over an indefinite pen-down strike by the employees within reigns..!
Chandigarh, March 9: Promising to implement the decisions taken by the Committee of Ministers on Employees’ Issues in letter and in spirit, Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh appealed to the striking government employees to resume duties immediately in the interests of the people of the state.
Thousands of government employees, including contractual employees, across Punjab, are on an indefinite pen-down strike at the Punjab Secretariat, Chandigarh. Protesting under a banner Sanjha Mulazim Manch, Punjab, the employees have raised a few basic demands, including ‘equal pay for equal work’.
The employees are demanding the release of pending dearness allowances (DA), implementation of sixth pay commission, reduction of probation period from three years to two years, equal pay for equal work, cancellation of the transfers of over 1,000 employees from education department and the demands of contractual employees.
While speaking to media Manjeet Singh Randhawa said, “Contractual employees receive Rs 10,500 for the same work that a permanent employee does. A permanent employee gets around Rs 35,000. This is a clear case of wage disparity. Also, contractual employees always live in the fear that they will be thrown out anytime. Our demand is that the mode of recruitment should be regular and not contractual or outsourced.”
Another protestor, wishing anonymity said, “Over 50,000 contractual employees are demanding a policy through which they are regularised. 50,000 is a huge number and they are working tirelessly for an abysmal amount.”
Punjab Government increased old age pension from Rs. 500 to Rs. 750 that is a 50% increase that is now availed by 20.6 lac beneficiaries monthly. Along with it, ₹31 Crores got allocated for construction of Old Age Homes. Financial assistance for girls at the time of their marriage has been increased from ₹15,000 to ₹21,000. Moreover, 1.3 Lakh Free Plots of 5 Marla are to be presented to rural homeless people.