Mid-day meal workers in Bhiwani demand regular pay, pension benefits, hold protest

The Mid-Day Meal Workers’ Union, Haryana, organised a protest demonstration today to press for their long-standing demands and submitted a memorandum addressed to the Chief Minister through the Bhiwani Deputy Commissioner.

Addressing the gathering, the district secretary of the Union, Rajbala, said that mid-day meal workers are some of the poorest women, many of them widows. They work as cooks in government schools but are still not officially recognised as government employees. Despite performing essential duties, workers receive only a meagre honorarium of Rs 7,000 per month, and that too for just 10 months of the year instead of 12. Rajbala added that while the cost of cooking has risen, the government has failed to revise the allocation accordingly. Payments are also often delayed, causing severe hardship to families.

The union emphasised that their demands are both legitimate and pressing. However, despite submitting several memoranda to the Haryana administration, the Chief Minister and the Education Minister, no positive steps have been taken so far.

The memorandum also raised the case of Kusum Panchal, the Union’s General Secretary and a cook at a school in Patti Kaliana village, Panipat district. Kusum was dismissed from her post without reasonable cause, which the union believes is retaliation for her organisational role. Despite 17 years of clean service, her record was allegedly misrepresented by the school administration to higher authorities. The union demanded her immediate reinstatement.

Activists further alleged that workers are regularly forced to undertake tasks beyond their job responsibilities and are threatened with dismissal if they refuse.

In their memorandum, the union demanded timely payment of honorariums by the 7th of each month, disbursal for 12 months instead of 10, recognition as laborers, payment of minimum wages as per state norms, a retirement benefit of Rs 5 lakh, an end to forced additional duties, an increase in dress allowance to Rs 2500 in line with inflation, construction of safe kitchens, free medical treatment through the Ayushman Chirayu Yojana, inclusion in the Chief Minister's Lado Laxmi Scheme, implementation of an ex-gratia policy, a ban on privatisation of mid-day meal services, one cook for every 15 children, and inclusion in pension, PF, and gratuity schemes.

They also demanded that no cook be removed due to a decrease in student numbers.

AITUC district secretary, Rajkumar Basiya, also addressed the protesters, warning that if the government fails to respond to these justified demands, workers will be left with no option but to intensify their agitation.