Sanitation workers call off strike after talks with Punjab govt

Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema announced Thursday that sanitation workers across various urban local bodies (ULBs), municipal councils, municipal committees and nagar panchayats have decided to withdraw their ongoing strike after successful talks with the state government.

After a meeting with representatives of sanitation workers' unions, Cheema stated, ''A five-member delegation from the workers' 35-member committee held detailed discussions with Cabinet Minister Harjot Singh Bains, senior government officials and me regarding the workers' demands.''.

''Several demands were resolved during the discussions, while some issues linked to legal and election code-related matters require further procedural consideration,'' he shared details from the meeting.

The government and union representatives agreed to form a committee to examine all pending demands and work towards a permanent and practical solution, he informed, adding that the government has fixed a one-month timeline to sympathetically consider and resolve the remaining issues.

''After detailed discussions over the last two to three days, all unions agreed to give the government time to address their concerns in a serious and structured manner,'' he stated.

Sanitation workers across Punjab had been on strike for more than two weeks, demanding regularisation of their services. Because of their strike, garbage collection was severely affected at many places in the state.

To a question on Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu calling Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann an ''ISI agent,'' Cheema strongly condemned his statement and termed it an insult to the people of Punjab and their mandate.

''This is not just an insult to the chief minister but to all 3 crore Punjabis. The BJP has consistently displayed an anti-Punjab mindset,'' Cheema said.

Replying to a query regarding the 'Cockroach Janta Party,' Cheema said, ''Democracy and the Constitution of India give every citizen the right to form a political party and express their views freely.

If young people, students or social groups are raising issues concerning society, they should not be targeted or mocked. Every individual has the constitutional right to express opinions and participate in democratic politics. Suppressing voices and labelling people unfairly is against democratic values.''.

Cheema alleged that under the BJP government, attempts were being made to silence dissenting voices and restrict democratic expression in the country.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)