'Corona warriors' up in arms, demand jobs

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Patiala, July 16

Demanding jobs, hundreds of Class 4 erstwhile Corona warriors, who were fired last year, held a protest outside the Government Rajindra Hospital here today.

Minister meets protesters

• The employees called off their protest after Health and Medical Education Minister Chetan Singh Jouramajra met them here on Saturday. He assured the protesters that the government would look into their matter.

Raising slogans against the state government, the protesting employees staged a sit-in outside the main gate of the hospital for hours. The protesters said they were hired on outsourcing basis in 2020 when the Covid pandemic broke out. However, the previous Congress government terminated their contract in September last year.

The sacked employees have been protesting continuously ever since their contracts were terminated.

The protesters said they had already met several Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs from the district and put forward their demands. However, no one addressed their issue.

Sanjiv Gill, president of the Corona Warrior Union (Class 4), said Bhagwant Mann, who is now the Punjab Chief Minister, had met the protesting employees on the roof of a car parking at Rajindra Hospital last year and asked them to end the fast unto death.

“Before the elections, He (Bhagwant Mann) had promised that he would provide jobs to them. Now, he has reneged on his promise,” said Gill.

The employees called off their protest after Health and Medical Education Minister Chetan Singh Jouramajra met them here today. He assured the protesters that the government would look into their matter.