Govt staff prepare protest plan for three months

Parveen Arora

Tribune News Service

Karnal, November 25

Members of the Sarv Karamchari Sangh today held a state-level “chetavani” rally here today in protest against the Haryana Government “failure” to fulfil its promises made during last year’s Assembly elections.

They declared to start an agitation in the state from December 8.

Thousands of employees, who turned up for the rally, slammed the government for directing them not to take leave to participate in dharnas, demonstrations or strikes and demanded to take this decision back with immediate effect.

“Even after several protests by several employee unions during the first year of the BJP government, their demands have not been given attention,” Sangh state president Dharambir Singh Phogat claimed, adding today’s rally was organised to decide the future course of action.

The sangh has planned statewide protests for three months.

“To stop employees from participating in today’s rally, the government issued an undemocratic order on November 21. Employees, however, will not sit silent and launch an agitation against the government from December 8 at the block level,” Phogat said.

A convention of women employees would be held on December 20. The venue will be declared soon.

Employees would protest outside DCs’ offices on January 5 to demand from the state 30 per cent increase in the recommendations of the seventh pay commission.

Subhash Lamba, state general secretary of the sangh, said employees were in a do-or-die situation and would take out protest marches at legislators’ houses on February 7, serving them memorandums to raise their demands in the Budget session.

They would start a signature campaign from February 8 to 22 in the state.

“Even after these protest if their demands were not met they would march towards Assembly,” Lamba added.

State Drawing Teacher Association president Pawan Khanoda, meanwhile, said drawing teachers would not sit in the written test for 816 posts against which they had been serving for six years. The test is scheduled for November 29. “The matter is pending in court, but the Haryana Staff Selection Commission (HSSC) issued an advertisement for the posts,” Khanoda said.

Protest in Ambala

The Haryana Karmchari Mahasangh organised a rally near the bus stand in Ambala Cantt on Wednesday in protest against restriction on government employees on taking mass casual leave to attend a dharna or a rally. Mahasangh president Kanwar Singh Yadav said the government had been following an “anti-employee” policy. “Employees will not tolerate repressive attitude of the government and launch a statewide agitation against it,” he said.  — OC