Protest of contract workers outside the labor commissioner’s office continues for the second day

Protest of contract workers outside the labor commissioner’s office continues for the second day

Warns to go on hunger strike if demands are not met

Harshabab Sidhu
Nabaz-e-Punjab, Mohali, December 16:
The protest held by Powercom and Transco Contract Employees Union, Punjab Water Supply and Sewage Board Contract Workers and Labor Unions, 108 Ambulance Employees Union, Punjab Health Systems Corporation Employees Union Punjab continued for the second consecutive day today outside the Labor Commissioner Punjab’s office here. A large number of contract workers of Powercom, CHB Water Supply and Sewage Board, 108 Ambulances, Health Corporation including their families and young children participated and chanted slogans against the Punjab Government, Powercom and Labor Department.
On the occasion State President Balihar Singh, Vice President Rajesh Kumar Sher Singh Khanna, Gurpreet Singh Guri and Lakhveer Singh Kataria said that the siege of the Labor Commissioner’s office continued till 10 pm last night. The protesters were urged to hold a dharna on December 18 with a meeting with top officials and a panel meeting with Labor Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu and CMD cum Chairman of Powercom on December 23 but provided a continuation of previous meetings with the Contract Employees Minister. The contract employees again came to the dharna site and sat there. In the bitter cold, women are holding the protest with their children.
The protesters warned that if the Punjab government did not comply with the legitimate demands of the contract employees, they would be forced to go on a series of hunger strikes at the protest sites.
They said that written decisions have been taken with Labor Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu and senior officials to cancel the retrenchment of contract workers, reinstate the sacked workers, provide adequate compensation to the families of the accident victims and provide employment to one family member but Powercom management Officials of the concerned departments are not implementing these decisions. Due to which there is a huge protest in the contract based employees.