Mid-day meal workers hold protest, seek fulfilment of long-pending demands

The district unit of the Mid-Day Meal Workers’ Union Punjab held a rally at Gandhi Municipal Park here on Sunday to press for the fulfilment of their long-pending demands. Mid-day meal workers from across the district participated in large numbers. The rally was chaired by union leader Manjit Kaur.

Addressing the gathering, union leaders Manjit Kaur, Ranjit Kaur, Narinder Kaur, Dharam Singh Patti and Jagtar Singh Assal said that while the current government has failed to fulfill promises made to various categories of employees, it has also neglected mid-day meal workers by not increasing their allowances and forcing them to work for meagre honorariums.

The leaders demanded that the monthly allowance of mid-day meal workers be raised to Rs 6,000. They also called for free insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh, the provision of two uniforms per year and payment of pending dues for additional work assigned to them.

Following the rally, the workers submitted a memorandum of their demands to Cabinet Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar in Patti. The minister assured the delegation that he would take up their demands with Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann.

Union leaders Beant Kaur, Amandeep Kaur, Parveen Kaur, Rajwant Kaur, Sarabjit Kaur and Manjinder Kaur also addressed the gathering and expressed dissatisfaction over the government’s indifferent attitude.

The protesting workers raised slogans against the Punjab Government and warned that their agitation would be intensified if their demands were not met in the coming days.