Contractual employees seek meeting with CM

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, January 13

Expressing anger for their unmet demands, activists of the Contractual Employees Action Committee, Punjab, held a novel protest outside the residence of MLA Sushil Rinku here today banging empty tin canisters and seeking Lohri outside the MLA’s residence here today.

They were protesting against the non-implementation of the Punjab ad-hoc, contractual, daily wage, work charged and Outsourced Employee Welfare Act 2016 as earlier promised by the state government.

They sought the re-joining of Suvidha Centre employees who had been ousted from their jobs.

They also submitted a memorandum to the MLA, seeking a meeting with the Chief Minister (CM) which had been denied even after 10 months of the Congress government in power.

Union members said they would now hold a novel protest on January 24, marking the occasion wherein the CM tweeted regarding addressing their demands after coming to power. They said they would cut a cake printed with the very tweet from the CM which they would cut outside the Punjab Press Club in Jalandhar.

Union members said despite promising relief to employees earlier, despite repeated requests by the Contractual Employees Action Committee, the government failed to provide them time for a meeting.

The youth were being robbed of their rights for long and the government needed to take immediate steps to fix the situation, they added.

They said before this, a hunger strike was also held in Chandigarh, as per which, various employees had been assured that after CM’s oath- taking, their demands would be met.

The members of the union said even after the passing of so many months, their demands had not been addressed.