Ludhiana: Contractual bus workers in Punjab have deferred their planned strike by two days to avoid disrupting students traveling for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), for which the government has promised free transit. The public transport strike is now set to stall services across the state next week after contract workers issued a three-day strike ultimatum over failed wage reforms and creeping privatisation. The industrial action was originally scheduled for June 22.
Strike Details
The Punjab Roadways, Punbus, and PRTC Contract Workers Union announced a complete shutdown of state-run bus services from June 24 to 26 if the state government fails to address long-standing labor disputes. The union, which represents all 27 transport depots across Punjab, finalized the strike parameters in a meeting at Isru Bhawan.
Union Demands
Worker-union president Resham Singh Gill stated that four years into the current administration's term, no contractual transit employee has been transitioned to permanent roles, and no new state-owned buses have been added to the fleet. Instead, the union claims the transport department is moving toward privatisation through outsourced leasing schemes that favor private operators at the expense of public utility infrastructure.
State secretary of the worker union, Shamsher Singh Dhillon, said the government has repeatedly reneged on written assurances regarding equal pay for equal work and the implementation of a structured employment policy for contract labourers. The union threatened to intensify its agitation if the upcoming three-day shutdown fails to yield a government resolution.
Background
The strike deferment came after the government promised free bus rides for NEET aspirants. The union agreed to postpone the strike to ensure students are not affected. However, if the government does not meet their demands by June 24, the strike will proceed, causing significant disruption to public transport across Punjab.
