Public services across Punjab were disrupted on Thursday as more than three lakh government employees and over 3.5 lakh pensioners joined a statewide strike to press the Bhagwant Mann government for the release of pending dearness allowance (DA), implementation of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), regularisation of contractual employees and fulfilment of other long-pending demands.
Government offices across the state either remained closed or witnessed thin attendance as employees stayed away from work after taking mass casual leave. Protesters staged demonstrations at district headquarters and other locations, raising slogans against the state government. The strike, coming ahead of the Punjab assembly elections, was described by employee leaders as one of the biggest mobilisations of government employees and pensioners in recent years. “Employees are an important part of our family and we are ready to listen to every legitimate concern they have. The employee organisations, however, maintained that their demands had remained pending despite repeated assurances and urged the government to hold talks without imposing conditions. Healthcare services affected The strike affected public healthcare services in several districts. Outpatient department (OPD) services at various government hospitals and health centres remained suspended as doctors, nursing staff, paramedical personnel and other employees joined the agitation. In Hoshiarpur, the Punjab Civil Medical Services Association (PCMSA) supported the strike by boycotting OPD services at the civil hospital and community health centres. In Amritsar, doctors staged a demonstration at Guru Nanak Dev Hospital. Government health facilities in Ferozepur also witnessed disruption, while Aam Aadmi Clinics in the district remained closed. The disruption caused inconvenience to patients and their attendants. At the Sangrur civil hospital, a patient attendant alleged that he faced difficulties in getting treatment for his mother, who had been admitted with tuberculosis. He claimed he had to purchase medicines from outside. Emergency services, however, remained available. Schools, offices hit across districts Government schools in Hoshiarpur remained closed as teachers and clerical staff observed mass casual leave. Government College, Hoshiarpur, also witnessed thin attendance among students as most regular teaching and clerical staff stayed away, although ad hoc employees remained on duty. In Sangrur and Barnala, several government offices remained closed or functioned with minimal staff. The strike affected administrative, education and healthcare services in both districts. In Bathinda and other parts of south Malwa, employees staged demonstrations near district administrative complexes. Government hospital OPDs were affected, with doctors attending primarily to emergency cases. In the Doaba region, employees gathered outside district and tehsil administrative complexes. Administrative work and public dealing remained largely suspended. Health services were also affected as nursing, paramedical and National Health Mission staff joined the protest. In Jalandhar, employees gathered at the mini-secretariat and reportedly had a minor altercation with police after protesters attempted to block BMC Chowk. Across the Majha region, including Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Gurdaspur and Pathankot, government offices and public institutions witnessed thin attendance. In Pathankot, the Punjab Employees-Pensioners Joint Front organised a protest at the bus stand. Employees took out a march through Railway Road and other areas before gathering at Valmiki Chowk, where they staged another demonstration and burnt an effigy of the state government. Employee leaders alleged that the government had failed to release pending DA instalments and arrears despite repeated assurances. They also demanded action on other service-related issues, including pension benefits for employees appointed under various categories. State-owned bus services remained operational in several areas, and there were no reports of attempts to disrupt road or railway traffic. Opposition attacks Mann government The statewide strike triggered sharp reactions from opposition parties, which accused the state government of mishandling the employees’ grievances. Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring urged Mann to resolve the dispute through dialogue rather than confrontation. Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal also criticised the government over the mass leave protest and accused it of failing to fulfil commitments made to employees and pensioners. Punjab BJP chief Kewal Singh Dhillon alleged that the government was attempting to intimidate employees by seeking lists of those absent from duty. He urged the government to withdraw any punitive approach and resolve the pending issues through negotiations. Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar-Surjit) president Giani Harpreet Singh also appealed to the government to shun confrontation and address the employees’ concerns through dialogue.
More than 150 employee organisations under the banner of the Punjab Sanjha Mulazam Manch participated in the ‘maha hartal’. DA, pension scheme, pay scales among key demands The protesting employees are demanding the release of 18% pending DA instalments and arrears, implementation of the OPS and regularisation of contractual employees. They are also seeking implementation of minimum wages for mid-day meal, ASHA and Anganwadi workers, restoration of the Assured Career Progression (ACP) scheme and extension of Punjab pay scales to employees recruited after July 17, 2020.
Association representatives said elective surgeries were postponed due to the protest.
Chief minister Bhagwant Mann, who was scheduled to meet representatives of employee organisations in Jalandhar, said negotiations could take place only after the employees called off their strike. But dialogue and strike cannot proceed together,” Mann said in a post on X. He said the government was committed to resolving legitimate grievances but maintained that dialogue would resume only after the strike was withdrawn. Emergency services, maternity and child care, emergency surgeries, treatment of already admitted patients, medico-legal work and postmortems continued, according to the association. Protesters said OPD services were suspended but emergency services remained operational. He expressed solidarity with the protesting employees and said government staff were an essential part of the administrative machinery.
