Health Department employees stage protest in support of ministerial staffers’ demands in Amritsar

Tribune Reporters

Amritsar, December 5

Employees of the Health Department today staged a massive protest outside the civil surgeon’s office here in support of the ongoing strike by ministerial employees in the state.

Members of health employees’ unions such as the Medical Laboratory Technicians Association, Multipurpose Health Supervisors Union, Multipurpose Health Workers Union, ANM-LHV Union, Staff Nurses Union, Class Four Employees Union, Punjab State Pharmacy Officers Association and the Radiographers Union took part in the three-hour dharna.

The protesting employees raised slogans against the state government and CM Bhagwant Mann. The leaders questioned the way the Punjab Government has been handling state affairs.

Malkiat Singh Bhatti, one of the leaders, rued that even though ministerial employees had been on a pen-down strike since November 8, the state government has yet to take notice of the stir and its adverse effect on public works. He lamented, “The Aam Aadmi Party had made a lot of lofty promises before coming into power. But it has failed to deliver on all of them.”

Another leader, Shamsher Singh Kohri, said, “The employees are just demanding their dues. If the government can spend oodles of money on advertisements and helicopter rides, it can surely disburse the arrears of dearness allowance and other allowances to the employees.” Kohri reaffirmed the government employees’ support for ministerial staffers.

Ashok Sharma, another leader, said, “The objective of the protest today is to send out a message that ministerial workers are not alone in their struggle.”

Teachers’ union backs ministerial employees’ stir

Tran Taran: The district branch of Punjab’s Master Cadre Union slammed the state government during a meeting today over its failure to fulfil the striking ministerial staffers’ demands.

Gurmeet Singh, district president of the union, presided over the meeting. The leaders expressed their displeasure over the “indifferent” attitude of the state government to the employees’ demands, such as the revival of the Old Pension Scheme.

The union leaders rued that the government had no interest in addressing the issue. They noted that even though the ministerial staffers’ stir had hit the functioning of government offices, the state has yet to accept the protesters’ demands.