Punjab State Safai Karamchari Commission Chairman Geja Ram Valmiki in order to resolve problems faced by sweepers and others workers of Government Rajindra Hospital and Medical College, Patiala, directed the concerned company to ensure salaries on DC rates and payment of arrears, besides depositing EPF amount in their accounts and providing uniforms. He also directed the company to furnish an action taken report to the commission.
Presiding over a meeting of the representatives of Sweepers Union and the contractor company Scientific Security Management Services Pvt. Ltd. at the Commission’s office, Valmiki listened to the arguments of both the parties. He said that sweepers perform their duties of cleaning, pushing their lives at risk and any injustice to them would not be tolerated at all. During meeting, Sweepers Union President Ram Kishan and Ajay Kumar Sippa, Rajesh Kumar, Arun Kumar, Pradeep Kumar and Aman pointed out the irregularities of the company at Rajindra Hospital and Government Medical College such as low pay scales, non-availability of uniforms. They informed that these issues were also raised in a meeting with the representatives of the company on August 28, 2021.
Taking immediate action, the Chairman asked the Director of the contractor company Pradeep Garg, Sanjay Monga and the Regional Manager Pradeep Sharma to immediately accede to the legitimate demands of the employees. Valmiki informed that as per the agreement reached between the two parties, the Scientific Security Management Services Pvt. and sweepers union, the comply will bound to provide salaries on DC rates to its sweepers at Rajindra Hospital and Government Medical College Patiala, Guru Nanak Dev Hospital and Government Medical College Amritsar and in other towns and cities, wherever company provides services and supplies employees for this purpose. In addition, the company will pay arrears of salaries to the employees from April 1, 2021 and deposit EPF amount in their accounts. The company will pay salaries by the 7th of each month besides providing each sweeper with two sets of uniforms, boots and gloves.
The chairman clarified that sweepers will also be bound to wear uniforms. In case of non-wearing of uniform, such worker will be deprived of this facility. Similarly, if a sweeper will be absent from duty for 15 consecutive days without permission, the company may hire another worker without informing or issuing notice to an irregular one. He said that the sweeper would be able to lodge complaints of unwarranted harassment by the company directly with the commission. Apart from this, the company will provide two sets of uniforms to 270 nurses and two sets of overcoats for Lab Attendant/Para Medical Staff, besides providing records related to the services of sweeper and nurse, bank accounts and EPF, if needed.
