Ludhiana | Local bodies minister meets employees on chain hunger strike

Bringing the factionalism among the MC employees to the fore, Municipal Employees’ Sangharsh Committee and Sewermen/Safai Karamchari Sangharsh Committee conducted separate meetings with the minister. The unions have been struggling with their long-pending demands, including regularisation of employees, and have been sitting on a chain hunger strike for the last nine days

With the municipal corporation (MC) employees’ union— Sewermen/Safai Karamchari Sangharsh Committee— sitting on a chain hunger strike for the last nine days, seeking regularisation of contractual employees, the local MLAs arranged a meeting between the unions and local bodies’ minister Inderbir Singh Nijjar in Chandigarh on Thursday.

The employees protesting on Day 9 of strike in Ludhiana. In a video released after the meeting, the minister can be seen assuring the employees’ union that he would visit the protest site outside the MC’s Zone-A office on Friday . (HT PHOTO)

In a video released after the meeting, the minister can be seen assuring the employees’ union that he would visit the protest site outside the MC’s Zone-A office on Friday and make an announcement regarding the demand to regularise the contractual employees. MLAs Madan lal Bagga, Ashok Prashar Pappi, Gurpreet Gogi, among others\, were also present in the meeting.

Bringing the factionalism among the MC employees to the fore, Municipal Employees’ Sangharsh Committee and Sewermen/Safai Karamchari Sangharsh Committee conducted separate meetings with the minister and claimed to have got an assurance from the minister regarding the regularisation of employees.

The unions have been struggling with their long-pending demands, including regularisation of employees.The employees said even though the previous Congress government had issued a notification for regularisation of sewermen and sweepers, who are working on contractual basis, they haven’t been given the appointment letters.

Chairperson of Sewermen/Safai Karamchari Sangharsh Committee Vijay Danav said the minister gave a positive response to the demands of the union. Further, he would be visiting the protest site on Friday to make an announcement regarding the regularisation of contractual employees, he added.