Employees go barefoot in their fight for their rights

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, December 1

Members of the Sarva Sikhiya Abhiyan and Mid-Day Meal Office Employees Union today held a ‘barefoot protest’, holding a march up to the residence of Education Minister Pargat Singh. They said they chose this mode of protest as people walk barefoot to religious places. They said they held such a march as they hoped that their demand for regularisation will be fulfilled by the minister.

Union members said there had pinned hopes on Pargat Singh but they were all dashed. Even after 6-7 meetings of the Sarva Sikhiya Abhiyan and Mid Day Meal Office Employees with the minister, their issues reained unaddressed. Hence, they decided to hold the protest today.

Unemployed teachers’ protest on Dec 3

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• BEd TET pass unemployed teachers also declared they would gherao the residence of the Education Minister again on December 3 as the assurances made to them remained unfulfilled Unemployed teachers said the release of advertisements for the posts of master cadre teachers is being inordinately delayed citing pending court cases
• They also raised questions on the hurried advertisement for the appointment of the new Director Training and Curriculum of the Punjab Institute of Sports in the last week of November. They said while their appointments’advertisement was awaited for months, the new post was advertised with a promise of Rs75,000 increase in the said officer’s salary but no stipulated age limit had been mentioned in advertisement

After holding the march to his residence, they said they had been assured of a meeting on December 3 at 10 am with the minister.

Union members reiterated if their demand was not addressed on December 3, then they will hold a strike on December 6. They said the state government had made several announcements but they were not being addressed practically. The government’s notices and declarations were proving to be white elephants, they added. The said one of these recent announcements also included regularising 36,000 contractual employees. They said like former CM Capt Amarinder Singh, the new CM was also making committees and delaying works. The cabinet sub-committee made by the Channi government met on Monday but no minister is ready to speak anything, they added.