Steps will be taken to resolve employees' issues: Amarinder

Lashing out at the Punjab and Delhi governments for the "stepmotherly treatment" to government and other employees, Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh today promised all possible steps to resolve their long-pending demands in the state if elected to power.
He appealed to the employees of Punjab to join hands with his party to bring back the lost glory of the state, assuring them that the next Congress government would address their problems without delay, and added that regularisation of contractual employees was on top of the party's agenda.
Addressing a rally here, Amarinder alleged that while the Parkash Singh Badal-led SAD-BJP government in Punjab had completely ignored the interests of the government employees, especially the contractual ones, Arvind Kejriwal's government in Delhi had pushed the employees into "a state of despair".

Employees in both the states were victimised and subjected to severe harassment by these two governments, he added.
The Congress, he said, was committed to addressing the problems of the government employees.
Citing the plight of teachers in Punjab, Amarinder promised early redressal of their grievances and said their long-pending demands would be addressed on priority.

He also referred to the "pathetic" working conditions of the police personnel in the state and said sweeping police reforms, as promised in his party's poll manifesto, would be carried out once the next Congress government was formed.
Fixed duty hours with regular off-days, free medical insurance, time-bound promotion and shifting from VVIP duty to law-and-order were some of the reforms the party had in mind, he added.

Referring to the plight of the government employees in Delhi, Amarinder alleged that the AAP government there was totally oblivious to these problems of non-payment of salaries and other dues.
MCD workers in Delhi were forced to strike work as a result of non-payment of salaries, he pointed out, adding that even the teaching staff of private schools was reduced to a pitiable state with the Delhi Legislative Assembly amending the law to make it easier for the schools to cut their wages.
Given the condition of the employees in Delhi, Kejriwal and AAP could not be trusted with the interests of those in Punjab, Amarinder said, adding that it was in their interest to ensure that the Congress was voted to power.