Government offices and administrative services across Ludhiana are expected to experience disruptions on August 27 as employee and pensioner organisations observe a statewide ‘Maha Bandh’.
Staff will abstain from work to protest against the administration’s continued failure to address long-standing structural and financial grievances. With such limited staff, it will not be possible to teach all classes, and students will have to depend on self-study.” Government schools across the district are expected to struggle with normal functioning on August 27, as teachers have announced mass leave to participate in the statewide ‘Mahabandh’ called by employee and pensioner organisations over long-pending grievances.
Dharamjeet Singh Dhillon, district president of the lecturer cadre union, said, “Only two or three teachers are likely to be present in the schools as the government has not declared a holiday.
The employee organisations clarified that the shutdown is confined to government establishments and that the agitation will not disrupt public movement or commercial activity. The organisations alleged the state government had failed to honour commitments made to employees and had also not implemented certain demands despite court directions. Our objective is to press the government to resolve the pending issues, and we appeal to employees to participate in large numbers.”
The statewide movement centers on several core grievances, including the release of an 18 percent pending dearness allowance (DA) instalment, withdrawal of the July 17, 2020 government letter, implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission, restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), and implementation of other pending demands of employees and pensioners. The PSEB Employees Federation (AITUC) has extended its full support to the August 27 mobilisation. We have made it clear that the August 27 protest will be observed across government departments.
“Our fight is with the government, not with the public,” the leaders said, adding that transport and normal public activities would continue as usual. State secretary Gurpreet Singh Mehdudaan said,“The government has repeatedly failed to honour commitments made to employees and pensioners.
