MC staff burn Manpreet Badal’s effigy over delayed salaries

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, November 21

The protest by Municipal Corporation employees over non-payment of salaries entered the ninth day here today. The MC employees have been deprived of their salaries for the past two months.

Today, the employees led by the Sanji Sangharsh Committee burnt an effigy of Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal and raised slogans against the state government. Union leaders alleged that Manpreet Singh Badal was not releasing the salaries.

Harjinder Singh Walia, president of the Sanji Sangharsh Committee, said, “Navjot Singh Sidhu had assured us that the salaries would be released on time. But the Finance Minister is not releasing the funds to the Local Bodies Department. He released Rs 21 crore for development works but nothing for salaries. Sidhu made efforts but failed to get the salaries released”.

“We will continue our protest still the government disburses our salaries for three months. Earlier, we were demanding salaries for September and October. Now, it’s November 21 and the government should release salaries for three months”, added walia.

“If the government does not releases our salaries this week, we will intensify our struggle. The union will give a call to boycott work. Residents would suffer if the MC employees boycott work”, said another unionist.

The leaders of the Sanji Sangharsh Committee avoided to criticize the Minister for Local Bodies, Navjot Singh Sidhu. They said, “Sidhu is an honest man and he made efforts to get our salaries released. Now that Manpreet Singh Badal is not releasing the salaries, why blame Sidhu?” said another union leader.