Temporary Zirakpur Municipal Council workers strike, demand permanent status

Municipal Council Employees’ Safai Karmachari Union (AITUC) in Zirakpur, comprising temporary workers, status three employees, and sanitation workers, met with officials a few days ago to present their demands. They requested confirmation for temporary workers, and in line with Chandigarh, employees should be given the DC rate. The union issued a 10-day ultimatum, warning of an indefinite strike if their legitimate demands were not met within the given timeframe.

While speaking to journalists, Ravinder Pal Singh Kuki, the head of the Municipal Council Employees Union Office, stated that approximately 350 employees of Municipal Council Zirakpur, including status three employees, are participating in the strike. These employees have been struggling for their demands for a long time, but so far, no government has paid attention to their legitimate grievances.

Kuki mentioned that on December 26, 2023, he met with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Local Body Minister Punjab, Halka MLA Kuljit Singh Randhawa, Secretary Local Bodies Punjab, Director Local Bodies Punjab, DC Mohali, SDM Dera Bassi, Municipal Council President Udayveer Singh Dhillon, and The Executive Officer.

They informed the City Council Zirakpur about their demands through a letter, clearly stating that if the legitimate demands of their union were not met within 10 days, they would go on an indefinite strike starting from January 3, 2024. Ravinder Pal Singh Kuki highlighted that the DC rate in Chandigarh is double that of Punjab, but the Punjab government is not increasing it.

The temporary employees working in the city council are earning nominal salaries even in such inflation, but the government is not understanding their problem. He emphasized that the distance from Chandigarh to Zirakpur is only 5 kilometers, yet there is a significant difference in the DC rate between the two areas. He has been urging the government for a long time to increase the DC rate, but the government is not taking his demand seriously.

The main demand of the union is to make the temporary employees permanent and provide the DC rate to the employees similar to Chandigarh. He warned that if his demands are not met, he will intensify his struggle, placing the entire responsibility on the Municipal Council Zirakpur, Halka Dera Bassi Administration, and the Punjab Government.