Chandigarh : Seeing that the issues of the employees are not being resolved despite the promises and decisions taken by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and the cabinet ministers of the Mann government, the employees have announced to carry forward the struggle.
Taking the three-day token strike forward, the employees had announced to hold a protest demonstration at the Chief Minister’s residence in Chandigarh on 28th February, but the Mohali administration fixed a panel meeting with the cabinet sub-committee for 1st March, from which the Mohali administration reneged.
The leaders announced that a group of employees will hold a state level rally in Mohali on March 4 and march to Chandigarh, the residence of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, against the administration’s violation of promises.
The employees seemed angry that despite the Cabinet Sub Committee taking decisions on 22/11/2023 and 31/01/2024, the Officers Committee is not holding a single meeting for the last two and a half months.
They said that the green pen of the Chief Minister took the decision to make the office employees of the Education Department permanent and despite it being approved by the Cabinet Sub Committee consisting of three ministers, the office employees of the Education Department neither got regular orders nor Nor did the salary cuts of the employees stop.
Office employees are considered to be the backbone of governments to run the state, government and departments, but the Education Department of Punjab has been doing disservice to the office employees irrespective of which party has come to power.
Every time, instead of giving the due rights to the office employees, the Education Department is ignoring them. Despite Chief Minister Punjab Bhagwant Mann, Education Minister Harjot Bains and the Cabinet Sub Committee taking the decision to permanent the employees of the Education Department, it is not working for months.
Since then, the work of confirming the employees has not been implemented. The leader said that when the AAP government is in power, the Education Minister and departmental officials have held several meetings with the employees but only time is being wasted on assurances and promises.
While giving information to the press, leaders of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan Office Employees Union, Shobhit Bhagat, Gagandeep Sharma, Rajeev Sharma, Sukhraj said that the Akali Dal and Congress governments have wasted the youth of the employees and now the Aam Aadmi Party government is exploiting us as well. The leader said that the salary of office employees is being cut by about Rs 5000 per month, which has not been fulfilled despite repeated promises by the ministers.
Along with this, the increase in salary of mid day meal office employees from the year 2019 has been put on hold. The leaders said that if the government and the department do not pay attention to the demands, then they will surround the Chief Minister and Cabinet Ministers by staging a protest and during campaign rallies in the coming days.