Non-teaching staff to meet Finance Minister tomorrow over salary cuts

The non-teaching and office employees of the Education Department have scheduled a meeting with Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Cheema in Chandigarh on March 2 to discuss the salary cuts imposed on newly regularised non-teaching staff.

Union members said that if the salary cuts are not withdrawn following the meeting, they will go ahead with their planned protest march in Sangrur, the Finance Minister's constituency, on March 3.

Union members said the protest rally shall be held at Sangrur by 1007 staff members of the non-teaching employees declared. While 50 to 60 employees of the Union are from Jalandhar, as many as 200 are from across Doaba.

Notably, the staff of the Education Department, who were formerly holding a pen down strike (until February 26) have been protesting against the cut of Rs 31000 per month on the salaries of the office employees who have been serving the Education Department for 20 years. Employees had been angered by police administration using water cannons on the employees.

Teachers said during the cabinet meeting on 8 September 2025, led by CM Bhagwant Mann, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema and Education Minister Harjot Bains repeatedly instructed officials not to reduce salaries, but the orders of the government were ignored by the officials of the education department.

They said the then Secretary, School Education held a meeting with the non-teaching staff members union on October 10, 2025, during which, according to the discussions held with them, the employees were to be regularised on the lines of SSA teachers in 2018. They said while requests were also made to retain their salaries and not impose any cuts, the same hasn’t been implemented—as they have been told their salaries from March onwards shall bear hefty cuts.

While leaders of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Mid-Day Meal Office Employees Union Shobhit Bhagat, Gagandeep Sharma, Rajiv Sharma, Gagan Sial said they hoped the government will respond to and address their grievances on the meeting on March 2.

Leader Shobit Bhagat said, “Our salaries will be reduced to mere little over 17,000 from the 40 to 50,000 we were earlier receiving. With rising inflation, student’s fees and domestic costs, we won’t be able to sustain families with such little wages. The government must pay teachers their requisite dues. “ While teachers had also participated in the pen-down strike, they said in continuation of their action to oppose the salary cuts employees shall be holding continued protests outside the house of Finance Minister Harpal Cheema, on March 3, as well as the CM and Education Minister, if their demands are not met in the upcoming meeting.