Non-teaching employees to protest over unmet demands

Jalandhar, June 11

Non-teaching employees under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and mid-day meal scheme of the Punjab’s Education Department have announced to stage a series of protests, if their long-standing demand for regularisation remains unfulfilled. They have also announced plans to protest the AAP’s campaign for the Jalandhar West constituency by-election.

District leaders of the Daftari Karamchari Union — Shobit Bhagat, Gagandeep Sharma, and Kuldeep Singh — released a joint statement emphasising their grievances. They said Punjab CM had assured them that their demand for regularisation would be addressed following the conclusion of the model code of conduct for the General Elections.

The union leaders highlighted that SSA and mid-day meal scheme employees were detained multiple times last month during protests against AAP rallies in the district for the Lok Sabha polls. “We have organised several protests in the past, and now we have decided to hold similar protests including a door-to-door protest against the state government to make our voices heard,” they stated.

The leaders also recalled the CM’s announcement on September 5, 2022, about the appointment of 8,736 contractual employees in the Education Department, followed by a notification on October 7. However, they pointed out that no official orders have been issued to date, forcing them to resort to protests and meetings with ministers and MLAs to remind them of their commitments.

Additionally, the employees raised concerns about a Rs 5,000 salary cut affecting block-level employees, which they described as a gross injustice. “Despite being in the same cadre, these employees are being paid less, exacerbating their frustration,” they added.