Punjab Government Employees Declare 2026 as Year of Protest Over Unpaid DA
Government employees in Punjab have reached a breaking point. They declared 2026 a year of protest against the Aam Aadmi Party government. Their anger spilled into the corridors of the Punjab Civil Secretariat and offices across the state on Tuesday.
Employees staged a symbolic but forceful protest on Lohri. They accused the government of betraying promises and ignoring long-pending dearness allowance dues.
Core Issue: Five Pending DA Instalments
The heart of the agitation is simple. Employees demand payment of five pending DA instalments. These amount to 16 percent of basic salary. The dues have accumulated since mid-2023.
Gurnam Singh Virk, state president of the Punjab State Ministerial Service Union, expressed deep frustration. "We threw broken pieces of firewood into the Lohri fire as a mark of protest," he said. "We are fed up with this government and its fake assurances."
Virk highlighted the payment history. The last DA hike of 4 percent came in December 2023. That payment followed nearly 50 days of strike. It was already due from January 2023.
"DA is announced twice a year by the Centre," Virk explained. "States are bound to implement it for their employees. One instalment of 2023 and two each of 2024 and 2025 are still pending."
Declaring Non-Cooperation and Planning Wider Agitation
The unions made a firm declaration. The Punjab State Ministerial Service Union and Civil Secretariat Ministerial Union announced 2026 as a "non-cooperation year" and a "year of protest." They vowed to continue until demands are met.
"We are no longer going to seek meetings or beg for implementation of our demands," Virk stated. "The government is fully aware of what we want. Enough is enough now."
Pippal Singh Sidhu, Punjab General Secretary of the union, outlined an aggressive action plan. "The year 2026 will be observed as a year of protest," he announced. "No meetings with the government will be sought until our demands are met."
The plan includes several key steps:
- District units will submit warning letters and memorandums to MLAs in all Assembly constituencies.
- The state committee will issue warning letters to state presidents of all political parties.
- March 9, 2026, will be observed as a struggle remembrance day with a large convention.
- The union will release a special protest calendar for 2026 highlighting government failures.
Sidhu issued a clear warning to politicians. "If MLAs fail to raise employees' issues, they will face strong resistance during the upcoming elections," he said.
Widespread Impact and Allegations of Discrimination
The protest movement is gaining momentum. Approximately 55,000 clerical cadre employees have united for this struggle. In total, more than 3.5 lakh employees from various departments are affected.
Employees also raised serious allegations of discrimination. They claim IAS and IPS officers posted in Punjab receive DA instalments regularly from the state treasury. Meanwhile, over 3.5 lakh government employees across departments continue waiting for their dues.
The problem extends beyond current employees. Virk revealed that over four lakh pensioners—retired government employees—have also not received pending DA payments.
Employees from multiple departments plan to join the agitation. Education, irrigation, water supply and sewerage, and health departments are expected to participate. This signals a widening confrontation between the Punjab government and its workforce.
The situation remains tense. With the Centre expected to announce the sixth DA instalment later this month, the financial gap for employees is set to widen further. Punjab's government employees have drawn a line in the sand. 2026 will be their year of protest.
