Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Thursday adopted a tough stance against government employees who have gone on strike across the state, saying that talks with the government will take place only after the strike is called off.
In a post on X, Mann said government employees were an important part of the government’s “family” and that his administration was ready to listen to their legitimate demands. However, he stressed that negotiations and a strike cannot continue simultaneously.
Mann said the government remained committed to resolving the employees’ issues but made it clear that dialogue would begin only after the strike ends.
Government offices remain shut
Meanwhile, following the call given by the Punjab Government Employees and Pensioners’ Joint Platform and Front, government offices across the state remained closed. Employees and pensioners held protest rallies and raised slogans against the Aam Aadmi Party government.
Employees took mass casual leave to participate in the protests. At the Punjab Civil Secretariat, staff working with ministers also joined the demonstrations.
In Chandigarh, employees of various directorates held a protest under the bridge in Sector 17, while the PSIEC Staff Association organised a separate rally at Udyog Bhawan.
Employee leaders warned that if Thursday’s scheduled meeting with the Chief Minister and the coordination committee failed to produce a concrete solution to their demands, the agitation would be intensified.
They also warned that the AAP government would have to pay a political price if the dispute remained unresolved.
