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Punjab ministerial staff union’s meet with govt inconclusive
The union leaders have decided to hold a meeting today to take a decision about the continuation of their strike, which had been extended till Dec 6
Talks between Punjab State Ministerial Services Union (PSMSU) leaders and the cabinet sub-committee headed by finance and taxation minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Tuesday failed to end the month-old strike that has delayed the salaries of government staff across the state.
The meeting between PSMSU representatives, led by state chief Amrik Singh Sandhu, and cabinet ministers Cheema and Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal remained inconclusive.
“The meeting was disappointing…nothing came out of it. We kept our demands before the cabinet ministers, but the state government’s response was not satisfactory,” Sandhu told HT after the meeting.
The union leaders have decided to hold a meeting on Wednesday to take a decision about the continuation of their strike, which had been extended till December 6. The protesting ministerial employees are seeking implementation of the old pension scheme (OPS), release of three pending dearness allowance (DA) instalments, regularisation of contractual employees and reinstatement of accelerated career progression.
PSMSU additional general secretary Tejinder Singh Nangal said the state government did not give any firm commitment on any of their demands. “We will decide our next course of action tomorrow,” he added. Another union leader said the restoration of old pension scheme was a pre-poll promise of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and the state government had also announced its implementation more than a year ago, but nothing has been done by it till now.
The clerical staff of around 50 departments is on pen-down strike, which has delayed the salaries of thousands of personnel across the state. The salary bills of government employees are processed by the ministerial staff.
Key demands will be considered soon: Cabinet sub-panel to union
An official spokesperson said during the meeting with the representatives of PSMSU, the cabinet sub-committee discussed their demand letter pointwise. The cabinet sub-committee assured the union that their main demands would be considered in the coming days, the spokesperson said in an official release.
The protesting employees have received support from various employees’ associations, including those of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL). The Punjab Civil Medical Services Association has also extended support to the strike by the ministerial staff, and government doctors held rallies on Monday to express solidarity.
