Sanitation workers across Punjab call off strike after govt accepts demands

The union representatives said the government had assured them of examining on priority the recruitment process on vacant posts and the issues related to salaries and service benefits.

Following the assurance, leaders of various safai karamchari unions announced the suspension of their strike and asked employees to resume duties immediately.

The strike had led to the accumulation of garbage in residential colonies and marketplaces in several towns and cities over the past few days. In some cities, the local authorities had deployed limited staff and machinery to manage the situation.

With the end of the workers’ agitation, the sanitation services across Punjab are expected to normalise over the next two days.

Cheema also appealed to the employees to continue cooperating with the government and said the administration would maintain regular communication with the representatives to ensure that issues are resolved amicably.

The key demands of workers included regularisation of services, release of pending salaries, filling of vacant posts and implementation of welfare measures for sanitation workers. The unions had earlier warned of intensifying their agitation if their demands were not addressed.