Protesting workers at NITJ`

The sanitation employees of the National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar, have been on indefinite strike since April 12, 2016, to protest against the college authorities’ decision to outsource their management job to a private contractor. 

The contractor will oversee the work done by these sanitation workers. The employees feel it will lead to job insecurity.

Following the agitation by sanitation employees, there’s garbage piled up at many places on the Institute’s campus. The stink emanating from these spots is unbearable, and the unhygienic condition poses a health risk, said students. 

NIT paid the workers, but now a private contractor who has been hired by the college authorities will act as their in-charge. The workers are against this decision. When PaGaLGuY spoke to one of these workers, he said, “we don’t want to work under any outsider or a private contractor as it risks our job.” 

The officials of NITJ have failed to resolve the issues of the protesting workers. On April 19, 2016, the workers led by the President of the Workers Union, Chandan Grewal, went to negotiate with the Dean Students Welfare, Dr. Jaspal Singh. The meeting took an ugly turn and the two groups exchanged blows after the workers suspected the Dean was inebriated. The Police rushed Dean to Civil Hospital where he underwent a battery of tests to ascertain if he was drunk or not. 

The Union, however, is no mood to relent and call off the strike till all its demands are fulfilled and a strict action is initiated against the Dean. 

In this battle between the college authorities and employees union, the students are suffering. They are forced to live in unhygienic conditions on the campus and their sanitation woes don’t seem to be ending anytime soon.

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