Workers of Uttarakhand Purva Sainik Kalyan Nigam limited (UPNl) began their two-day strike in support of their demands on Monday. Works at various departments of the State have been adversely affected as the workers in large number under the banner of UPNl Employee Federation (UPNlEF) assembled at the protest sites in their districts while in Dehradun they gathered at Parade Ground. Their demands include equal pay for equal work or their minimum wages being fixed at Rs 21, 000.
Protesters claimed that around 24,000 workers of UPNl have boycotted their works in the Government departments in support of their demands on Monday and they would do the same on Tuesday.
They have submitted several letters to state government for the redressal of their grievances but nothing has happened, one of the agitated employees said, adding that they would intensify their stir unless demands are met within 15 days.
Deepak Singh Chauhan, president of UPNlEF, said that workers of UPNl are working on non-existent posts in the government departments while no new post is being created to absorb them. “UPNl employees are working on posts left vacant by the death of the fourth class employees. We are demanding regularisation of the UPNl employees through creation of new posts to absorb them. Besides, no such worker should be removed before the regularisation is done. We would be forced to intensify the stir in case the state government fails to address our long-pending demands,” he added.