Faridkot, October 21 (Sivnath):- On the occasion of Dussehra, contractual employees in Faridkot today burnt an effigy of the Punjab government and raised slogans during a tehsil-level protest organised under the decision of the Enlistment-Outsource Coordination Committee Punjab. The protest was held against the government's alleged refusal to issue joining letters to enlistment and outsourced workers before Diwali under the Punjab State Outsourced Personnel (Transition to Contractual Engagement) Bill, 2026, despite the understanding reached at a panel meeting held on October 15 with the chairman of the Cabinet Sub-Committee-cum-Finance Minister. Tarsem Singh Pakhi Khurd and Gurpreet Singh Faridkot announced that a state-level protest rally would be held on October 25 in Dhuri, the constituency of the Chief Minister, with families and children, and that an intensified struggle would follow.
In a press statement issued today, the Jal Supply and Sanitation Contract Workers Union Punjab, Regd. No. 31, Faridkot district president Tarsem Singh Pakhi Khurd, general secretary Gurtej Singh Aulakh, Dharamvir Singh, Mehal Singh and Balwinder Singh said that, according to the understanding reached during the panel meeting held on October 15, 2026, with Harpal Singh Cheema, chairman of the Cabinet Sub-Committee-cum-Finance Minister, all contractual employees continuously serving under various categories, including enlistment, outsourcing, companies, contractors and societies, in the departments of Water Supply and Sanitation, Revenue and Rehabilitation, Markfed, Cooperative Bank, Cooperation Department (Verka), Warehousing and the PWD Electrical Wing were to be issued joining letters before Diwali under the Punjab State Outsourced Personnel (Transition to Contractual Engagement) Bill, 2026.
They alleged that the Punjab government had backed away from its commitment by failing to issue the relevant orders through departmental officials for the joining letters. They said the government was passing time by making repeated assurances, leading to widespread resentment among contractual employees and compelling them to launch an intensified struggle.
The committee also demanded that enlistment and outsourced workers in the departments represented in the Enlistment-Outsource Coordination Committee be issued joining letters immediately and unconditionally under the Punjab State Outsourced Personnel Bill, 2026. It further demanded that wages be fixed by incorporating the recommendations of the 15th Indian Labour Conference into the Minimum Wages Act, 1948; that EPF and ESI benefits be implemented; and that all demands and issues listed in the charter of demands be resolved with immediate effect.
The union leaders announced that if the demands were not addressed, workers of the Jal Supply and Sanitation Contract Workers Union Punjab, Regd. No. 31, Faridkot district, would participate with their families and children in the state-level protest rally to be held on October 25, 2026, in Dhuri, the constituency of the Chief Minister, under the banner of the Enlistment-Outsource Coordination Committee Punjab. They said the agitation would continue until the demands were resolved.
