Employees’ union protests, wants demands met

Bathinda, February 20

Members of the Punjab and UT Mulazum and Pensioners Sangharsh Committee staged a protest over pending demands here on Wednesday. They also burnt copies of state’s Budget to express their resentment.

Scores of protesters gathered near the District Administrative Complex and raised slogans against the state government. They said their pending demands must be fulfilled on a priority basis.

Darshan Singh, executive member of the committee, said, “The state government must regularise the services of contractual employees at the earliest. The recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission must be implemented so that employees can get benefits of it. Instalments of dearness allowance have been also outstanding for a long time now. The government must reinstate the old pension scheme and stop privatisation of departments.”

He said, “Workers of various departments had high hopes from the state government, but many basic as well as genuine demands were ignored in the Budget. Resuming work of the thermal plant in Bathinda and a number of pending demands of employees were not considered in the Budget.” — TNS