Edu dept employees to shut down work, intensify protests over long-delayed regularization
HARISH MONGA
Ferozepur, December 3, 2024: Discontent is mounting among Punjab’s Education Department employees as unresolved demands and bureaucratic delays have driven them to announce a statewide work shutdown starting December 4. The strike will include a district-level sit-in and a protest march to Chandigarh on December 5.
Key demands include addressing pay discrepancies, ensuring timely salaries for mid-day meal workers, and regularizing contract employees hired under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and mid-day meal programs since 2007-08 and 2009, respectively. Union leaders allege favouritism in the departments while longstanding issues are neglected.
For over 15 years, SSA office employees in district and block offices have worked on contracts, earning around ₹30,000 per month. Similarly, mid-day meal office staff earn approximately ₹18,500 per month. Despite their significant contributions, these workers have aged beyond the 37-year limit for regular government employment. Many are now over 50 years old, having devoted their prime years to the department.
Union leaders, including Rajesh Watts of the SSA Mid-Day Meal Employees Union, criticized the state’s inaction despite repeated commitments. The Chief Minister's assurance in April 2022 and the Cabinet Subcommittee’s decision in March 2024 to address these demands have yet to materialize. Employees also submitted affidavits as requested but encountered bureaucratic hurdles delaying resolution.
The employees began an indefinite protest on November 28, with demonstrations outside the Directorate of School Education in Mohali. A meeting with Cabinet Minister Aman Arora on November 28 led to assurances of further talks, but a scheduled meeting with the School Education Secretary on December 2 was abruptly cancelled, escalating tensions.
Union leaders accuse the administration of defying ministerial orders and cite similar cases, such as the 2018 regularization of 8,886 teachers, which should have set a precedent. Written orders for regularization, issued on November 7, remain unexecuted. Protesters warn they will continue their agitations until their demands are met.