Sanitation workers in Punjab have announced the suspension of their strike after the state government accepted several of their long-pending demands during a meeting held in Chandigarh. The workers, who had been on strike since July 8, said sanitation services would resume from Tuesday afternoon, with priority being given to clearing accumulated garbage across cities.
Sharing details of the breakthrough, Gulshan Kumar, District President of the Safai Sewak Union, said a crucial meeting was held with Cabinet Minister Harjot Singh Bains and representatives of the Punjab Government. Following detailed discussions, the government agreed to several key demands raised by the union, paving the way for the strike to be called off.
Which key demands were agreed to?
Change in the regularisation policy
One of the biggest announcements was a change in the regularisation policy for sanitation workers. The government has agreed in principle to reduce the eligibility period for regularisation from 10 years to 3 years. Under the revised policy, contractual employees working in municipal councils will be made permanent.
Introduction of a new bill
The government also assured the union that a bill would be introduced during the ongoing Assembly session within the next 10 to 12 days to bring temporary employees working in municipal corporations, municipal councils and municipal panchayats under the contractual system, addressing another long-standing demand of the workers.
Employment to a family member if sanitation worker dies on duty
In another significant decision, the government agreed that if any sanitation worker—whether temporary, contractual or permanent—dies while on duty, one of their family members will be provided employment on compassionate grounds.
Wage revision
The union also announced a major wage revision. Workers currently receiving ₹14,500 under the Labour Commission Department will now receive ₹20,500, resulting in a direct salary increase of ₹6,000. Additionally, employees who are regularised will be entitled to receive basic pay as per government norms.
Immediate return to work
Gulshan Kumar said sanitation workers would immediately return to work and launch a large-scale cleanliness drive across cities. The first priority will be clearing the massive heaps of garbage that accumulated during the strike, followed by the cleaning of streets, drains and other public areas to restore normal sanitation services.
The union expressed confidence that cities would soon be free from overflowing garbage and appealed to residents for their continued cooperation during the clean-up operation.
Following the successful negotiations, the Safai Sewak Union thanked the people of Punjab, traders' associations, journalists and members of various organisations for supporting their movement throughout the strike. The union said the public's patience and solidarity played an important role in achieving a positive outcome and ensuring that the workers' long-pending issues were addressed.