DC office employees in Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur on hunger strike

THE WORKERS ARE DEMANDING PENSION SCHEME, PROMOTIONS, NEW RECRUITMENTS, REGULARISATION

JALANDHAR/HOSHIARPUR: Deputy commissioner (DC) office staff on Wednesday observed hunger strike under the banner of Punjab state district DC offices employees’ association against the administration for not fulfilling their demands.

The employees from Jalandhar division will ‘gherao’ divisional commissioner’s office on Thursday and hold a protest.

Hoshiarpur employees continued their pen-down strike for Day-3 and five of them sat on ‘symbolic’ hunger strike.

The protesters demanded benefits for those who have completed two years of probation. They also demanded implementation of the pay commission report, revival of old pension scheme, time-bound promotions and staff recruitment.

Appraisal in the DC office employees’ promotion quota for the post of Naib Tehsildar, takeback notification of repeated tests for promotion of stenographer’s cadre are also among major demands.

Shortage of staff has over-burdened the existing work force that has to work overtime without any extra benefit, said the protesters.

Union president Tejinder Singh said employees are agitating against the lack of staff in offices, delay in promotions, no promotion opportunities for clerical and stenographer’s cadre and no inflation allowance installments.

“Five employees observed a hunger strike at each district headquarter. Employees will gather at the divisional commissioner’s office,” he said.

Even after the continuous demand of employees to raise the reservation quota to 25% for the promotion of senior assistant to naib tehsildar, the revenue department has decreased the reservation quota to 3% from 5%, he said.

“The administration is yet to hold any meeting regarding promotions to fill vacant posts of superintendent grade-1,” he added.

Employees’ union district president Vikram Adia said the state body will decide on the next move in Jalandhar on August 30.