Contract employees feel discriminated on interim relief issue
handigarh February 17, 2017: The issuance of interim relief (IR) to regular Punjab Government employees has discriminated against the temporary employees who are struggling for regularization for the last so many years.
Today, the hunger strike by the Punjab Contract Employees Union entered 5th day, to register their protest for non-regularisation of contract employees despite clearance by the Election Commission even announcement of model of conduct to go ahead with the action as per the decision taken in the Vidhan Sabha special session o December 19 after approval by the Cabinet.
Earlier, the one of the employee of the Union has threatened to sit on fast-unto-death but in the meantime, it was withdrawn in view of the fact that the issue stands resolved with the decision of Vidhan Sabha in its special session.
Speaking to this correspondent, Rajinder Singh, Press Secretary said, the Additional Secretary Personnel in a meeting with the Additional Secretary Personnel had assured to arrange meeting with the Chief Secretary Punjab to sort out the issue of demands of the employees.
But it looks that with the issuance of release of 5 per cent interim relief to regular employees, the Chief Secretary Punjab has discriminated with the temporary employees by retaining the file of regularization of their services, out of the two main issues – regularization of contract employees and release of 5 per cent interim relief (IR) to the regular employees, he added.
He further said, in the absence of regular government, all the powers are now with the Chief Secretary Punjab and the Chief Electoral Officer, Punjab in a letter to the Punjab Government has made it clear that the demands of the employees do not fall within the purview of Model code of conduct announced in view of Assembly elections in Punjab including the matter of regularization of contract employees.
There is a great resentment among the contact employees in view of dilly-dallying attitude of the bureaucrats. The employees have decided to continue with the effigy-burning-protests from February 21 to 25 at the district headquarters, the Union leaders said.
Posted by HM
