Regularisation of jobs: Contractual staff up in arms

Tribune News Service

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Bathinda, April 17

Members of the Bathinda unit of the Theka Mulazim Sangharsh Morcha, Punjab, today staged a protest outside the office of the Deputy Commissioner in favour of their demand for regularisation of their services. They also submitted a memorandum of demands, addressed to Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, to DC Diprava Lakra, urging the new government to fulfil its promises of regularising jobs of employees working on a contractual basis.

Addressing protesters, union leaders demanded that employees working on a contractual or outsourcing basis under other schemes, projects, societies, panchayati system and through contractors, companies, agencies and others means be regularised in departments where they were working.

They also demanded that since the contractual employees had been working in several government departments and bodies for several years now, the eligibility criteria pertaining to educational qualification, age limit, etc be set aside while regularising their jobs.

They also demanded that the state government must reinstate employees of government thermal plants, Water Supply and Sanitation Department, sewerage board and suwidha centres across the state.

They also demanded that false police cases which were registered against employees during their protests against the former government be cancelled without any condition.

The members said since the Central Government has given its nod to provide 26-week maternity leave to women staff, the same facility be extended to women employees working on a contractual basis.

They further said the previous government had made an announcement that 27,000 employees working on a contractual basis would be regularised. However, the Water Supply and Sanitation Department had issued a notice announcing termination of services of several employees of the department who had been working since long.

The protesters threatened that in case  their demands were not heeded by the Congress government, they would intensify their protest in the future.