UT and MC Employees to Join Nationwide Strike on February 12th

UT and MC Employees to Join Nationwide Strike on February 12th

Chandigarh 31 January ( Ranjeet Singh Dhaliwal ) : Employees of the UT and Municipal Corporation will participate in the nationwide strike on February 12th. A notice in this regard was given to the Chief Secretary of the Chandigarh Administration and other officials by the Federation on January 22, 2026. In preparation for the strike, a meeting of the Federation's executive committee was held today near the electricity office in Sector 18, chaired by Federation President Gopal Dutt Joshi. The framework of the strike was finalized, and a program of holding gate meetings and rallies in different departments was decided upon. The executive committee meeting was attended by Federation President Rajendra Katoch, Vice Presidents M.M. Subramaniam and Rekha Gora, General Secretary Harkesh Chandra, Additional General Secretary Amrik Singh, Media In-charge Sukhwinder Singh Sidhu, Joint Secretary Bihari Lal, and leaders from various departmental unions. 

Federation General Secretary Harkesh Chand stated that the strike is being held in connection with demands related to the Central Government and in protest against the negative attitude of the administration towards the demands under the Chandigarh Administration. The main demands of the strike include: immediately implementing a 20% interim relief by determining the terms and conditions of the Eighth Pay Commission; repealing the four labor codes created by replacing 29 labor laws; regularizing all temporary employees who have completed 10 years of service and implementing equal pay for equal work until regularization; bringing outsourced employees under the direct control of the departments with immediate effect; repealing the PFRDA Act and restoring the old pension scheme; stopping the privatization of departments; immediately filling all vacant promotional posts in all departments and regularizing contract employees in direct recruitment posts; adjusting electricity employees transferred from the Chandigarh administration to a private company back into the administration's electricity department and other departments; revoking the dismissal orders of crèche workers and helpers and reinstating them; reinstating employees who were retired at 60 years instead of 65; bringing the parks and green belts currently under the Horticulture Department back under the department's control; revoking the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) imposed on the electricity and transport departments; withdrawing the FIRs registered against the employees; 

repealing Articles 310, 311 2 A B C of the Constitution; immediately reinstating the employees retrenched by the Municipal Corporation; increasing the ESI deduction limit to at least 50,000; extending the Central Government Health Scheme to UT employees; providing jobs to the dependents of deceased employees by removing the 5% ceiling; implementing DC rates for crèche/Anganwadi workers; and immediately providing employees with oil, soap, and uniforms. Meanwhile, the black day campaign by electricity employees continued for the second day today, with employees wearing black armbands and observing January 31st as a black day to express their anger against privatization. The Federation supported the electricity employees and strongly demanded that the administration maintain the employees' service conditions. The Federation appealed to all departmental employees to participate in large numbers in the strike on February 12th and make the rally in Sector 17 a success.