Chandigarh:
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is facing an increasing revolt from government employees, with over 3 lakh staff taking mass casual leave and contractual roadways workers extending their strike indefinitely. The twin protests have disrupted bus services and work in government offices, piling pressure on the Aam Aadmi Party government as it heads for the 2027 Assembly elections.
The continuing strike by the Punjab Roadways, PUNBUS and PRTC Contract Workers' Union has affected bus services across the state. Negotiations have failed to produce a breakthrough.
Employee representatives met Chief Secretary KAP Sinha at 4 pm on Thursday after the government released the minutes of an earlier meeting with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, as demanded by the unions. The meeting, however, remained inconclusive after nearly two hours of negotiations.
Sukhchain Singh Khaira, coordinator of the Joint Action Committee leading the agitation, said work across government offices, including directorates, had been affected.
Subsequently, a 39-member delegation representing employees and pensioners met officials but said it received no clear assurance on several demands.
One contentious issue concerned temporary teachers described as being regularised.
According to employee representatives, the government clarified that they had been given "tenure" rather than regular employee status carrying the financial benefits available to regular employees.
The employees are demanding the release of pending dearness allowance (DA) instalments and arrears, restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), regularisation of contractual staff, revision of pensions, restoration of 37 discontinued allowances and implementation of the cashless health scheme.
The demands cover pay, pensions, employment security and benefits, leaving several key issues unresolved despite repeated engagement with the government.
The roadways workers' decision to extend their statewide strike indefinitely has widened the impact of the agitation, disrupting public transport and affecting commuters.
The parallel protests also put the government's handling of employee grievances under scrutiny, as unions signal that normal operations will not resume without progress on their demands.
The next crucial development is expected on October 25, when employee representatives will meet in Ludhiana to decide the future course of their agitation.
With Wednesday's talks failing to break the deadlock and the roadways strike continuing indefinitely, the Mann government faces mounting pressure to reach a settlement and restore normal services.
The duration and scale of the protests will remain a test of its ability to manage employee discontent ahead of the 2027 assembly elections.