The Uttar Pradesh Unit of Sahakar Bharati has lent its full weight behind the strike call given by the PACS employees in the state. The employees were lathicharged last week when they tried to lay seize of the state Assembly.
Talking to Indian Cooperative state Sahakar Bharati leader Raj Dutt Pandey admitted that the employees are being paid so poorly that they cannot support their families. “In some cases they are being paid Rs 2000 to 2500, making a mockery of even minimum wages applicable in the state,” Pandey confessed.
Also, these employees have also not received their salaries since last year. The mounting debt in each of their employee’s personal account is forcing them to lead a miserable life, said a PACS employee from Lakhimpur Khiri.
On November 1, they had given a call to gherao the Assembly. The police had to resort to lathi-charge with a view to control the irate demonstrators. Some of the demonstrators were injured in the melee. It is reported that when the employees were going to do gherao the Legislative Assembly, the police tried to stop them by putting barricades.
On 29th October the employees had held protest meetings in all the districts of the state and handed over their 
Cooperative employees said that the wrong policies being pursued by the state government are wholly responsible for the present crisis. “We employees are facing serious financial problems and govt remains unconcerned”, they complained. One of their main demands is that they should be paid their salary on time.
The employees are also angry about being denied insurance cover as this would reduce them to penury. One of their demands also relates to extension of their retirement age by two years.
The employees are associated with different associations like PACCs Sacheev Welfare Society, Sadhan Samati Sachiv Parishad, Uttar Pradesh Sahakari Samiti Karamchari Sangh and others.