Punjab bus strike: Protesting contractual workers continue strike despite minister’s assurance; seek release and reinstatement of staff
PTC Web Desk: A day after contractual employees of Punjab’s state-run transport undertakings agreed to withdraw their strike following a meeting with the state’s transport minister, the workers continued their agitation on Monday, insisting that the government first release detained employees and reinstate those suspended or dismissed.
The employees of Punjab Roadways, Punbus, and Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) have been protesting since November 28 against the opening of tenders under the kilometre-based bus scheme. Workers allege that the scheme is a covert push to allow private operators onto government-notified routes, which they fear could threaten thousands of existing jobs. Under this model, private players lease buses to the department and are compensated at a fixed per-kilometre rate.
On Sunday, after six hours of negotiations with Transport Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar in Tarn Taran, the government announced that the striking workers had agreed to end their protest. However, union leaders later clarified that the demonstration would continue until all detained and arrested employees were freed.
Resham Singh Gill, a leader of the Contract Workers' Union, claimed that 173 employees remained in police custody and must be released immediately. He added that the strike would only be lifted once these employees reached their respective depots.
According to him, the minister had assured the union that suspended and dismissed staff would also be reinstated, but there has been no action so far.
During the Sunday meeting, Bhullar had stated that the government would examine and address the genuine concerns of drivers and conductors. He also said that employees suspended during the agitation would be reinstated and that the protesting workers had agreed not to disrupt the kilometre-based bus scheme.
The protest initially escalated on November 28, when several union leaders were detained before demonstrations began, sparking clashes across multiple locations. In Sangrur, tension intensified after some workers climbed atop buses and poured petrol on police personnel attempting to remove them. The SHO of Dhuri police station suffered burn injuries when his uniform caught fire. The police later booked 10 protesters in connection with the incident.
Bus services across the state remained disrupted for the fourth consecutive day on Monday, causing inconvenience to passengers.
- PTC NEWS
