Punjab employees go on mass casual leave for two days in protest against govt over pending demands
PTC News Desk: Lakhs of Punjab government employees have taken mass casual leave on Wednesday and Thursday to protest against the state government’s failure to address their pending demands. The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of employees’ unions has announced demonstrations across the state.
Government office work is likely to be affected during the two-day protest as employees stay away from duty. Public transport services may also face disruptions, as some transport unions have supported the agitation.
Two major protest rallies are planned in Chandigarh and neighbouring Mohali. Employees will gather outside the Punjab Civil Secretariat in Chandigarh and near PUDA Bhawan in Mohali. In other districts, employees have been asked to hold demonstrations outside the offices of Deputy Commissioners.
The protest follows several rounds of demonstrations over pending service-related and financial demands. The unions are demanding the release of 18% in pending dearness allowance (DA) arrears, restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), resolution of pay-related issues and withdrawal of orders affecting employees’ salaries and service conditions.
Their other demands include implementing the 2.59 multiplication factor, restoring Assured Career Progression (ACP) benefits, regularising contractual and outsourced employees, and withdrawing the January 15, 2015, order under which employees recruited during probation received only basic pay without regular allowances.
The unions are also seeking the withdrawal of the July 17, 2020, order that placed certain employees recruited after that date on lower Central pay scales. They have also demanded a resolution of issues arising from the revised pay structure.
The protest continues despite a meeting between the Chief Minister and employee representatives in September. The government had given assurances on several issues, following which employees called off their earlier pen-down strike. However, some union members opposed the decision, arguing that the government had not accepted any major demands.
The unions later continued their protest programme and announced the mass casual leave agitation for October 21 and 22 after giving the government a deadline to resolve their demands.
- PTC NEWS
