Forest Dept workers stage protest over unpaid dues

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, November 20

Members of the Forest Department Workers’ Union staged a protest in front of the office of the district Forest Range Officer in Talwandi Sabo on Wednesday.

The protesters raised slogans against the Forest Department and the state government over non-fulfilment of their long-pending demands. They alleged that the government had failed to make salary payments on time and the promotions of beldars had been lying pending for a long time now. Talking to Bathinda Tribune, Jaswinder Singh, assistant general secretary of the union, said: “We have given a call for one-day protest against the authorities for not releasing our salaries for the past three months. Moreover, our long-pending demand regarding the implementation of the Punjab Ad Hoc Contractual, Daily Wages, Temporary, Work Charged and Outsourced Employees’ Welfare Act, 2016, is still lying pending.”

“We have brought to the notice of authorities the issue of outstanding salaries of workers on numerous occasions, but no concrete step has been taken. All we get to hear every time we approached them was that they had not yet received the budget. Apart from that, the demand for uniforms for department workers and promotion of beldars had also been lying pending for a long time now.”

The union members said if their demands were not met by the authorities, they would hold another protest at Bathinda Forest Range Office.