Sixth pay commission recommendations: Ludhiana dist education office staff starts 4-day pen-down strike

Staffers demand 2.74 times increase in salaries and pensions, but the pay panel recommended a hike of 2.54 times

The district education office (secondary and elementary) wore a deserted look on Friday after the ministerial employees of the department went on a four-day pen down strike to protest against the recommendations of the sixth pay commission.

The district education office employees raised slogans against the state government and demanded a rollback of the pay commission. (Gurpreet SIngh/HT)

The employees are demanding a 2.74 times increase in salaries and pensions, but the pay panel has recommended a hike of 2.54 times, which they said is not acceptable.

There are over 80 government employees in both departments, including superintendents and clerical staff. The work at the department remained suspended from 9am to 5pm.

Employees in all branches like administrative and accounts raised slogans against the government and demanded a roll back of the pay commission.

Their demands include that the government must cover employees recruited after 2004 under the pension scheme, immediate release of the dearness allowance instalment that has been pending for many months, filling all vacant posts in government departments to ease burden on existing employees, revival of all allowances of the ministerial staff that have been stopped and regularisation of jobs of all employees working on contractual basis in the department.

Harminder Singh Romi, president of Sanjha Moracha Front, said, “The pen-down strike will continue till June 27 and if the government will not roll back the implementation of sixth commission, then we will intensify our stir.”