Suvidha centre employees demand regular jobs

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, December 2

Activists of the State Suvidha Karmchari Union today held a dharna outside the office of the Deputy Commissioner in Jalandhar along with their families. They have been protesting in various villages for the past 86 days demanding regularisation of their services.

Protesters marched from the DC office to BMC Chowk, Mission Chowk, Skylark Chowk and Namdev Chowk, raising slogans against the government. Traffic moved at snail‘s pace on various roads and areas of the city, including the Ladowali Road from wherever the protest march passed. As many as 1,100 members of the union across the state have been demanding regular jobs from the government.

Union general secretary Varinderpal Singh said on one hand the government was planning “same work, same pay” as per the Supreme Court’s decision on October 26, on the other hand, activists of the union were making ends meets with meagre salaries for the past 12 years.” He said as long as their demands are not met, they will continue with the dharna.

Notably, the move to shift the employees working on temporary basis along with Suvidha centres they are working in to private hands had invited the ire of union members, after which they started regular protests.

District president of the union Rajbir Singh said due to the lack of knowledge of distinction between Suvidha Kendras and Seva Kendras, this problem had taken place. He alleged the public was also being provoked against Suvidha centre employees. He said Suvidha and Seva Kendras were two different projects of the state government. Sewa Kendras were just an election matter of the state government which are being run by private companies, he added.

Union leaders said if the government did not pay heed to their demands, they shall intensify their agitation.