Rural pharmacists seeking regularisation hold protest in Amritsar, refuse to join Covid-19 duties

It has been 25 days since they boycotted their Covid-related duties in support of their demands

Pharmacists posted at dispensaries under the Punjab panchayats department staged a protest outside the zila parishad office in Amritsar and raised slogans against the Congress government for failing to regularise their jobs and increase salaries.

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It has been 25 days since they boycotted their Covid-related duties in support of their demands.

“Rural pharmacists have been working for the last 14 years for Rs 10,000 a month. The government hired us on contractual basis and our contracts were not renewed this time. We have been assigned emergency Covid-related duties at public places like the Golden Temple, Durgiana Temple, ICP Attari, Sri Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport, to medically screen people. Despite working in the emergency situations, the government is not regularising the contractual employees,” said Gurdeep Singh, district president of Punjab Rural Health Pharmacy Officers Association.

“The government had promised us to increase our salaries but nothing was done. The government should increase the salaries of frontline warriors and provide us medical insurance so that we can work without any concern,” he added.

Kamaljeet Singh Chauhan, vice-chairperson of the association, said, “We boycotted our Covid-19 duties on June 19, but the government is acting as a mute spectator. We will not resume our duties til the government assures us to regularise our jobs and increase our salaries. A similar protest is being held at all the districts of the state. We will intensify our protest if our demands are not fulfilled.”