Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, Chairman of the cabinet sub-committee formed to resolve employee issues, held significant meetings with multiple employee unions on Tuesday to address and resolve legitimate demands and grievances. Reaffirming Bhagwant Mann government's commitment to employee welfare, the meetings focused on examining submitted memorandums and assuring time-bound resolutions for critical demands regarding recruitment, promotions, regularisations, and pay scales across the education, healthcare, and forestry sectors.
Assuring the participating unions, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said, "All the memorandums and demands submitted by the unions are under serious consideration by the Cabinet Sub Committee to facilitate prompt, fair and favourable resolutions.”
During the deliberations, issues pertaining to the education sector took centre stage as representatives from the Berozgar Special Educator Front Punjab and the Punjab Education Department Ministerial Staff Association, Punjab, presented their memorandums. The Berozgar Special Educator Front urged the government to expedite the recruitment of 1,200 Special Education Teachers for 2026. The Ministerial Staff Association raised administrative demands, seeking a one time relaxation of experience requirements for Superintendent promotions, the restoration of abolished posts, the promotion of Junior Assistants at a 50% ratio, and the extension of State Awards to ministerial clerical staff on par with teaching personnel.
Addressing concerns from other critical sectors, the Finance Minister held constructive talks with the Novel Integrated Association of Community Health Officers, Punjab (NIACHO), and the Democratic Janglat Mulazam Union Punjab. NIACHO advocated for issues related to pay, loyalty bonuses and regularisation. Meanwhile, the Democratic Janglat Mulazam Union, while thanking the state government for regularising their services, emphasised the urgent need to regularise the remaining temporary and contract forestry workers, besides raising concerns regarding pay and retirement.
Later, listening closely to the concerns of the Joint Association of Independent Medical Laboratory & Allied Professionals (JAI MLAP), Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said, "The resolution of your key demands is already in the pipeline and is being actively processed.”
During the meetings, Lakhvir Singh, Sarbjit Singh and Manjit Sing from the Berozgar Special Educator Front Punjab, Gurpreet Singh, Parampal Singh, Anuridh Maudgill, the Punjab Education Department Ministerial Staff Association, Dr. Jatinder Singh, Dr. Vipan from the NIACHO, Rashpal Singh and Balbir Singh from the Democratic Janglat Mulazam Union, and Jagdeep Bhardwaj, Rajan Bector and Ashok Goyal from JAI MLAP presented the issues and concerns of their unions.