Ludhiana: Government teachers to hold stir in Chandigarh tomorrow over unmet demands
DTF district president Daljit Singh Samrala criticised the Punjab government of failing to honour its promises and neglecting the rights of three lakh employees and pensioners even after completing three years in office
Ludhiana Democratic Teachers’ Front (DTF) is planning to organise a teachers’ protest on Tuesday in Chandigarh. Nearly 250 union members from Ludhiana are preparing to head to the state capital to push for their demands.
On Sunday, DTF district president Daljit Singh Samrala criticised the Punjab government of failing to honour its promises and neglecting the rights of three lakh employees and pensioners even after completing three years in office. The union is demanding restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS).
Samrala slammed the government for backtracking its election manifesto promises. He added that the previous government had already cut 37 types of allowances for Punjab employees, and rather than reversing these cuts, the current government has further reduced salaries by implementing an incomplete central pay scale for employees recruited after July 2020.
Samrala said that teachers who do not have exam duties on Tuesday will take leave and join the protest in large numbers in the state-wide movement.
Union leaders also accused the government of privatising and outsourcing the education sector.They alleged that the government is using low student enrolment as an excuse to shut down primary and middle schools under the 2020 National Education Policy (NEP). They also raised concerns over teachers losing the right to choose their transfer locations, the non-implementation of the 2.59x multiplier for pensioners, and the chief minister’s refusal to meet employee representatives.
“Despite repeated discussions, the government has failed to act on the union’s demands, forcing teachers to intensify their agitation,” said Khanna block president Harpinder Shahi.
