Mohali: A protest by Punjab government and contractual roadways workers near Phase 6 in Mohali disrupted traffic on the Kharar-Chandigarh highway on Friday, forcing commuters onto alternate routes amid heavy congestion, Hindustan Times reported. The Punjab Roadways, PUNBUS and PRTC Contract Workers' Union has extended its statewide strike indefinitely, affecting bus services across Punjab after talks with the state government failed.

Source: Hindustan Times via Inshorts

The union said the strike would continue until official notifications were issued to implement its demands, the Times of India reported from Patiala. Those demands include regularising contractual employees under framed service rules, shifting outsourced workers to direct departmental contracts, and withdrawing police cases against employees involved in earlier protests.

Source: Times of India via OB News

The union announced a joint demonstration with the Theka Mulazam Sangharsh Morcha in Dirba, the constituency of Transport and Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, and said employees would stage protests at depot gates across Punjab. Workers from all 27 depots and two sub-depots plan to assemble in Mohali and march towards the Punjab Vidhan Sabha and the chief minister's official residence, and the union appealed to farmer, labour and student organisations to support the agitation.

Union representatives alleged that several government buses remained grounded because of an acute shortage of spare parts and tyres. They also criticised PRTC management for issuing show-cause and termination warning notices to striking employees — these are the union's allegations, reported as its claims.

PRTC GM Operations A. S. Tiwana disputed claims that services had been completely paralysed, saying more than 800 buses from the corporation's 1,250-strong fleet operated during the day. Tiwana said management had already sent higher state authorities a formal proposal a week ago to place about 1,719 outsourced employees on contractual terms under legislation recently enacted by the Punjab government.

Union general secretary Shamsher Singh said proposals to absorb frontline transport workers remained pending despite clearance from transport managements. He said Punjab Roadways had forwarded a proposal covering about 1,400 outsourced employees, and that the government had issued a letter on September 21 setting a one-month deadline to complete the process of shifting workers from outsourcing agencies to direct contracts — a deadline he said passed without implementation.

NDTV reported on October 23 that Punjab was hit as over three lakh government employees and roadways workers were on strike, underlining that the disruption continued statewide beyond the transport depots.

Source: NDTV via The Press Reporter