The State government has stated that there are no valid grounds for the protest being undertaken by employees outsourced through Uttarakhand Purv Sainik Kalyan Nigam Limited (UPNL). It pointed out that the honorarium to UPNL personnel is raised from time to time by the state government. It was last raised recently during August 2020.
According to officials, the state government believes that the strike by UPNL outsourced workers is improper especially considering the impact of Covid-19 pandemic coupled with the Vidhan Sabha session which began on Monday and the approaching end of the financial year. In a letter written to the UPNL managing director, the additional chief secretary Radha Raturi has also clarified that the demands being raised by the UPNL outsourced workers are pending in the Supreme Court- a fact which is known to all concerned. In her letter to the UPNL MD, the additional chief secretary has also expected that considering all the relevant facts, the protesting outsourced UPNL workers should be directed to immediately withdraw their strike. Only after they withdraw their strike would it be proper to talk sympathetically with the UPNL outsourced workers, she stressed.
It is pertinent to mention here that the UPNL outsourced workers have been protesting for about a week now demanding equal work equal pay and against the termination of contract of some UPNL workers from the government Doon medical college hospital.
Tuesday, 02 March 2021 | PNS | Dehradun
