Employees to gherao ministers on July 18

Amritsar, July 16

Intensifying their stir against the recommendations of the 6th pay panel and the government’s anti-staff attitude, employees and pensioners unions of Amritsar, Tarn Taran and Kapurthala, on Friday announced to hold dharnas outside the houses of 12 Cabinet ministers, including OP Soni on July 18.

Teachers would be participating in a ‘Halla Bol’ rally to be held under the Employees and Pensioners Joint Front in Patiala on July 29.

Jarmanjit Singh Chhajalwadi, convener, Joint Teachers’ Front, said on July 18 residences of Vijayinder Singla in Sangrur, Bharat Bhushan Ashu in Ludhiana, Balbir Singh Sidhu in Mohali, OP Soni in Amritsar, Manpreet Singh Badal in Bathinda, Tripat Bajwa in Qadian (Gurdaspur), Rana Gurmeet Sodhi in Ferozepur, Sham Sundar Arora in Hoshiarpur, Brahm Mohindra in Patiala, Sadhu Singh Dharmsot in Nabha and Sunil Kumar Jakhar in Abohar (Fazilka) will be gheraoed.

Protesters have been demanding regularisation of services of contractual teachers, uniform high coefficient (3.74) to all, restoring old pension scheme, full allowances from 2015, annual increments, reinstatement of arrears and salaries to music teachers, among others. The demands also includes that teachers suffering from Covid-19 should be assured of paid leave and ex-gratia of Rs 50 lakh. — TNS