Chandigarh: Commuters across Punjab are likely to face major inconvenience on Monday as contract employees of Punjab Roadways, PUNBUS and PRTC launched a statewide strike over their long-pending demands. The strike has disrupted government bus services, with buses remaining off the roads from depots across the state.
The protest has been called by the Punjab Roadways, PUNBUS and PRTC Contract Workers’ Union. The union’s key demands include regularisation of contractual employees, abolition of the outsourcing system and withdrawal of police cases registered against union leaders during protests held last year.
State union president Resham Singh Gill said the government had been informed about the strike in advance. Despite several rounds of talks, he alleged, no concrete decision had been taken.
“We were repeatedly assured that our demands would be accepted. Even during the meeting with transport officials last Thursday, we received verbal assurances but no written notification was issued. As a result, contract employees stopped work from Sunday midnight,” Gill said.
The union has also announced plans to stage a hunger strike at Mohali during the Punjab Assembly session. A meeting with Transport Minister Harpal Singh Cheema has been scheduled for 10 a.m. on Monday. Union leaders said the strike could continue indefinitely if the government fails to provide a written assurance on their demands. They also warned that a hunger strike would begin from Tuesday if the talks remain inconclusive.
The union is demanding that employees who have been working on contract for 11 to 12 years be regularised immediately, while workers engaged through outsourcing for the past 15 to 16 years should be brought under direct departmental contracts. It has also sought the withdrawal of cases registered during protests against the kilometre scheme in November last year.
The strike has affected daily commuters, including students, office-goers and women passengers, forcing many to rely on private transport and other travel options. Union spokesperson Harkesh Vicky said buses had been parked at their respective depots on the evening of August 2 in preparation for the strike. He added that the future course of the agitation would depend on the outcome of Monday’s meeting with the transport minister.
