Mohali, 22 May:- Today, under the leadership of the Sanjha Mulazam Manch Punjab, a massive motorcycle/vehicle march was organized in Mohali, which saw enthusiastic and large-scale participation from employees, pensioners, and leaders of various departments of Chandigarh, Mohali, and Punjab. This protest rally commenced from the Punjab Mandi Board, Phase-11, Mohali, and passed through the main roads of Phases 10, 9, 8, 7, 3B2, 4, and 5. During the rally, the employees and pensioners used banners, slogans, and an awareness campaign to inform the general public about the anti-employee and anti-pensioner policies of the government.
During the rally, leaders stated that the legitimate demands of employees and pensioners have been ignored by the government for a long time. Crucial demands such as outstanding Dearness Allowance (DA), restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), ACP rights, regular recruitment of contractual employees, salaries, and other pending arrears remain hanging, causing deep resentment among the employee and pensioner classes.
The leaders mentioned that despite repeated promises made by the Punjab Government, no appropriate solution has been found for the issues of employees and pensioners. The government is misleading the public, employees, and pensioners with false assurances, while in reality, the workforce is continuously forced to struggle for their rights. During the rally, the leaders, particularly the convener of the Manch, S. Sukhchain Singh Khaira, appealed to the general public not to vote for the Aam Aadmi Party in these elections but to vote for the party that has fulfilled the rights of the employees and common people in the past, and to support this democratic battle of the employees and pensioners. They emphasized that this struggle is not just for employee rights, but also for the protection of democratic rights and social justice. The leaders made it clear that until the government accepts the legitimate demands of the employees and pensioners and finds a suitable solution, this struggle will continue on an even larger scale and with greater intensity.
On this occasion, a large number of leaders from various departments and the leadership of Sanjha Mulazam Manch Punjab and Sanjha Pensioner Front Punjab participated. This rally saw enthusiastic participation from the office-bearers of the employee wing of the Aam Aadmi Party who had resigned recently. Today itself, S. Harpal Singh Cheema, Joint Secretary, Aam Aadmi Party, District Mohali, quit the party and joined the employees' struggle. Associations from the Punjab Secretariat, Directorates of Chandigarh and Mohali, outsourced employees' associations, the Safai Karamchari Association, and Home Guard Associations participated in this rally.