Report by Mazdoor Ekta Committee correspondent
PWD employees in Haryana are protesting in different districts of the state, in support of their 21-point demands. This protest is taking place under the leadership of the Government PWD Mechanical Workers Union. A protest was held outside the PWD office in Panipat on 6 February. From there, employees took out a protest march and reached the Mini Secretariat, raising slogans against the government. They have submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister through the District Deputy Commissioner. Such protests were also organized in Kurukshetra on 29 January and in Karnal and Ambala on 3 February.
In these demonstrations, the employees are protesting against the anti-worker policies of the government. The union leaders have warned that if their demands are not met, the movement will be extended state-wide.
PWD employees have been struggling for their demands for a long time. A big rally was organized in Haryana on August 11, 2024. The then Chief Minister Naib Singh Saini had assured the workers that their pending demands would be fulfilled by August 20. But their demands remain unmet – even today.
The main demands raised in the memorandum are – Old pension policy should be restored; Workers fired from Haryana Kaushal Rojgar Nigam (HKRN) working in the irrigation department should be reinstated; Around 1500 employees working in the Public Health Engineering Department for the past 18 years should be regularized; All workers working in water-related services, in the Development and Panchayat Department should be regularized; All employees should be given cashless medical facility; New posts should be created as per the workload in all three departments – Irrigation, Public Health Engineering and Panchayat and new recruitment should be done and the contract system should be abolished, etc.