Saturday, 17 February 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The State-wide strike by the joint federation of the Uttarakhand Purva Sainik Kalyan Nigam Limited (UPNL) is continuing to affect the lives of the people of the State. The health services are particularly hit hard in all parts of the state by the strike of the UPNL employees since February 12. On Friday the federation had given a call to march to the residence of Soldier Welfare minister Ganesh Joshi. The protesters started their march from the parade ground but were stopped by the police near Kanak Chowk. Minor scuffle between the protestors and the police occurred when the UPNL workers tried to push through the barricades and clashed with the security personnel. Large number of the protesters were held by the police but were released at the protest site located at Sahastradhara road in the afternoon.
The State convenor of the joint federation of UPNL employees Mahesh Bhatt told The Pioneer the federation wants that the government should withdraw its Special Leave Petition (SLP) filed in the Supreme Court (SC) against the order of the Uttarakhand HC. He added that the workers also want the recommendations of the cabinet subcommittee headed by the minister Ganesh Joshi to be implemented without any delay. Bhatt said that the UPNL workers want job security as a large number of workers are being removed from service by the departments where they are deployed. The federation also wants the government to give an assurance that their salaries will get increased by 20 per cent every year. The UPNL workers want the order of Uttarakhand HC that equal pay for equal work should be implemented by the government but the State administration filed a SLP in the SC against this order.
“We want the government to give us job security. I have been working for the last ten years but still my job is not secure,’’ said a protesting worker. He said that the 22,000 workers will continue to protest till their demands are not accepted by the government.
Meanwhile the strike is continuing to create problems for the general public in the State. The government medical colleges and district hospitals where UPNL workers are deployed in registration counters, offices and other departments are the worst affected. The work in the transport officers, taxation department and others has also got affected by the indefinite strike of the UPNL workers.
