Chandigarh: Amid growing support for protesting Punjab government employees, the state government has transferred Sukhchain Singh Khera, one of the prominent leaders spearheading the employees’ agitation.
Khera has been shifted from the Administrative Branch of the Punjab Civil Secretariat to the Planning Branch, located outside the Secretariat. Employee union leaders have alleged that the move is aimed at weakening the employees’ agitation and reducing Khera’s presence inside government offices.
Khera told The Tribune that neither he nor any other union leader would succumb to government pressure to withdraw the protests. He alleged that he had been transferred to minimise his presence in the Secretariat.
The development comes after employee unions announced that government employees would observe another mass casual leave on September 8, following the successful statewide protest on August 27.
The unions are demanding the release of pending DA instalments, implementation of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) and resolution of other service-related issues.
The government had earlier directed departments to prepare lists of employees who had taken leave on August 27 and subsequently issue show-cause notices to those who were allegedly absent without authorised leave.
Union leaders have interpreted Khera’s transfer as another move to put pressure on employees and their representatives.
