SSA office employees, special teachers protest at DC office

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, March 11

Members of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) office/Mid-Day Meal Employees Union today protested outside the DC office in Jalandhar to mark their discontent with the non-implementation of their demand for regularisation, which they say had been accepted. The union members burnt an effigy made of brooms, representing the state government. They also raised slogans against the government.

Protesters said that despite the CM and the Cabinet sub-committee having accepted their demands, they had not yet been implemented, and they were intensifying the agitation because of this.

“If our demands are not met in today’s Cabinet sub-committee meeting, we will march to the CM’s residence on March 13 along with our children and leave them there, so that the CM could take care of them,” said a protester.

Protest leaders claimed that it was hard to survive on their low salaries as contractual staff. “Despite the CM’s directions, we have not been regularised... We are unable to take care of our children,” said another protester.

The contractual employees said the Cabinet sub-committee had decided to regularise them November 22 last year, and on January 31, the officers committee did not take any action on the file of regularisation of the employees.

They said office workers of the Education Department did not get the regularisation orders, nor did the salary cut of the employees stop.

While interacting with the media Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan office/Mid-Day Meal Employees Union leaders Shobhit Bhagat, Gagandeep Sharma, Rajeev Sharma, Sukhraj and Lalit Mishra said successive governments had destroyed their future. The leaders said about Rs 5,000 was being deducted monthly from their salaries. The deduction had not been stopped despite repeated promises made by ministers. Additionally, the increase in the salary of mid-day meal office employees has stopped in 2019. Tarsem Lal Bhagat from the Elementary Teachers Union was also present at the protest.

A letter containing their demands was handed to Naib Tehsildar Anudeep.

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