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Punjab: Contract employees to march to Vidhan Sabha demanding regularisation

Wed, 25 Aug 2021 08:38:01 +0000

Members of the Punjab Contract Employees Struggle (PCES) and their families resolved to march to the Vidhan Sabha during sessions on September 7, 2021 to demand regularisation of workers.

Leaders Varinder Singh Momi, Jagroop Singh Lehra, Jagsir Bhangu and others gathered for a meeting on August 25 at the Teacher Home in Bathinda. Members discussed and ultimately rejected the recommendations issued by the Ministerial Committee for Regularisation of Contract Employees in response to their decade-long demands.

“It was decided to intensify the ongoing struggle against these recommendations by burning copies of the document across Punjab on August 26,” said Momi.

Accordingly, members and their families resolved to stage a massive protest march towards the Vidhan Sabha to demand unconditional regularisation of all contract employees including those enlisted, outsourced, contracted and those working under central schemes, companies, etc.

Protesters will hoist black flags to protest the corporatisation, privatisation of the service sector as well. Further, leaders said that zonal conventions would be organised all over Punjab to prepare the workers for the vigorous preparation of this struggle program.

“We asked the Punjab government to give up the service of corporators and regularise contract employees without any delay or face the wrath of the employees. It is up to the government to decide,” said Lehra.

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Captain Sarkar employing evasion policy same as SAD-BJP gov’t: Farmers

Tue, 30 Mar 2021 13:11:34 +0000

Punjab’s Contract Employees Sangharsh Morcha called upon workers across the state to burn effigies of the Punjab government on March 31, 2021 and wave black flags to denounce Chief Minister Amarinder Singh’s insensitivity towards contract employees.

Union members alleged that Singh and his Sub-Committee Cabinet Ministers “yet again ran away from meeting” with workers who had mobilised at the state-level earlier in March. On March 12, agitators demanded the regularisation of contract employees in all government departments and received a written assurance from authorities for a meeting with Singh at his Chandigarh residence on March 30.

However, upon arrival Morcha leaders were informed that the Chief Minister was not present and would continue the meeting with leaders between April 6 to April 10. Accordingly, state leaders Resham Singh Gill, Varinder Singh Momi, Balihar Singh, Jagroop Singh, Gurwinder Singh Pannu, Varinder Singh Bathinda, Sher Singh Khanna, Sevak Singh Dandiwal, Raisahib Singh Sidhu, Sulakhan Singh, and Mahinder Singh told media persons that the ‘Captain-government’ had failed to realise election promises to contract employees regarding regularisation and door-to-door employment.

“About 60,000 posts in all government departments have been abolished in the name of restructuring and the struggle of contract employees of all departments is being ignored which has eroded the confidence of contract employees in the government. The Captain Government is employing an evasion policy like the SAD-BJP government,” said Momi.

Leaders said that they would assert their demands for regularisation, abolishment of privatisation and reorganisation of government departments, abolish forced retrenchment of contract employees and the withdrawal of the farm and labour laws.

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Contract employees flood Patiala streets, demand regularisation of workers

Fri, 12 Mar 2021 14:03:19 +0000

A mass gathering of workers and kin at Fufara Chowk in Patiala district demanded regularisation of contract employees and repeal of new labour and farm laws on March 12, 2021, as per the Contract Employees Struggle Morcha (Punjab).

Punjab leader Varinder Singh Momi and others denounced the state government for winning state elections by promising to regularise contract employees of all departments yet failing to come through in the last four years of its tenure.

“With the intention of privatisation, contract employees of all departments are being retrenched and about 60,000 posts have been abolished in the name of restructuring,” said Momi while addressing a huge crowd of workers and employees demonstrating at the Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh’s hometown.

Speaking to SabrangIndia, Momi said that the state government agreed to have a meeting with leaders on March 18 to discuss their demands. As elaborated, workers’ concerns were about the new labour codes and the three agriculture laws.

Leaders feared such policies would hand over all public institutions facilitating government thermal, school-college, hospital, electricity, water supplies, sewerage boards, transport, roads, airports, airplanes, railways, banks and others to corporate houses.

Leaders said that Cabinet Ministers talking to Morcha representatives during sub-committee (formed by the government after prolonged struggles) meetings Sarkar frequently assured them of regularisation.

“So far no contract employees of any institution have been regularised. The tragedy is that the Punjab government in its last budget session did not bring any policy on contract employees, but rather privatisation of public sector agribusiness, catastrophic changes in labour laws that have intensified privatisation attacks,” said Morcha leaders.

Such policies have sparked a huge protest among contract employees including women. On Friday, protesters demanded that the government abolish privatisation of public agencies and agribusinesses, repeal aforementioned policies, prevent outsourcing in all departments as well as enlistment, contractors. They further demanded unconditional regularisation of all contract employees working in the categories of society, contractual work, with honorarium, etc.

“Employees should be reinstated, expensive power agreements with private thermals should be cancelled. Government thermals should be started. All recommendations of Ahluwalia Committee, the Power Act 2003 and 2020 should be cancelled,” they said.

Moreover, in the interest of contract employees, leaders said that they should be promoted after 3-5-10 years of service while providing affordable rations, education, health care for all and monthly salaries of contract employees and regular EPF and ESI deduction notification.

Women protesters marched up to YPS Chowk after a march at Fufara Chowk till 3 PM. At the end, the sub-district magistrate of Patiala called on leaders and agreed to meet them on Thursday.

The dharna concluded after representatives submitted a letter to authorities with a warning that if these demands were not addressed soon, the Chief Minister would have to resign in the near future.

“When ministers and ministers enter the field, they will be surrounded by black flags and a day of protest against privatisation will be observed on March 15,” said Momi.

Other than contract employees, Technical Service Union (Bhangal) State President Bharbhur Singh and Senior Vice President Rachpal Singh, Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta) Ugrahan District President Manjit Singh Nial, DTF State President Digvijaypal Sharma, Punjab Roadways Union President Jagjit Singh Chahal and other leaders participated in the protest as well.

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