Ambala, June 18: Agitated by the "breach of promise" by the Education Minister, Mid-Day Meal workers today burnt an effigy and held a protest demonstration. Addressing the workers at Shiksha Sadan, Union District President Lalita Khanna and Secretary Sonia stated that the Education Minister had called the organization's delegation to Chandigarh on June 9 to discuss their demands but refused to meet them. They alleged this makes it clear that the Minister does not intend to resolve their issues through dialogue. In protest, workers across the state have burnt effigies of the Education Minister to express their displeasure. Furthermore, the Mid-Day Meal Workers Union Haryana (Regd. No. 1933) has announced a protest at the Chief Minister's residence in Kurukshetra on August 4. A formal notice regarding this has been submitted to the District Elementary Education Officer.
It is noteworthy that the Mid-Day Meal workers have been primarily demanding a monthly salary of ?26,000 and payment for 12 months. Other major demands include job regularisation, reversing the school-merging policy, reinstating removed workers, fixing the retirement age at 65 with a terminal benefit of ?3 lakh, a uniform allowance of ?1,500, implementation of ESI and PF, two days of leave every month, medical support and ?50,000 assistance if injured on duty, ?5 lakh compensation for dependents in case of death, extending the Mid-Day Meal scheme up to Class 12, and halting the privatisation of the education and government sectors.
Addressing the protesting workers, CITU State Secretary Satish Sethi said that the state government increased the minimum wage to ?15,220 in April 2026, whereas the government pays these workers only ?7,000. Even this meager salary is paid in installments, sometimes ?6,000 and sometimes ?1,000. 
He pointed out that all other school staff, from principals to attendants, receive a 12-month salary, yet poor women working as cooks are paid only for 10 months and are often subjected to forced labour. Calling this a gross injustice, CITU demanded an immediate increase in salary and payment for 12 months, noting that it is extremely difficult to survive on ?7,000 in these inflationary times.