Under the scheme, private companies lease buses to the transport department and get paid for each kilometer they clock.
One day following the agreement by contractual workers of Punjab’s state-run road transport corporations to end their strike after discussions with the transport minister, they persisted in their protests, seeking the release of arrested and detained workers and the reinstatement of those who were suspended and dismissed.
State-wide worker protests began on November 28 in opposition to the opening of tenders under the kilometre-based bus scheme, which they argued was a covert effort to permit private operators on government-designated routes, endangering thousands of jobs in the state’s transport industry.
Under the scheme, private companies lease buses to the transport department and get paid for each kilometer they clock.
The protest went on for three days, but Sunday evening, after a six-hour talk with Punjab Transport Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar in Tarn Taran, the employees said they’d stop striking, according to the state government.
But, things changed late that night. Union representatives declared the protests would go on until the police release all the employees they have arrested. As well, they want all the suspended and fired employees to get their jobs back.
Resham Singh Gill, leader of the Contract Workers Union for Punjab Roadways, Punjab State Bus Stand Management Company Limited (Punbus), and Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC), stated that 173 employees are in police custody and should be released without delay.
The transport minister promised that the detained or arrested employees would be freed, but he stated that none have been released so far.
Gill additionally stated that the strike will end once the detained and arrested workers return to their respective depots.
The protesting workers stated that the minister had assured reinstatement of those who were suspended or dismissed during the meeting.
Following the meeting, Bhullar confirmed that the real needs of the drivers and conductors would be considered.
He also mentioned that the employees who were suspended during the unrest would be brought back and emphasized that the protesting workers would not disrupt the kilometre-based bus initiative.
Sandeep Singh, who is Senior Vice President at the Hoshiarpur workers’ union, said that the transport minister didn’t keep promises made at Sunday’s meeting.
Before the November 28 protest, the cops grabbed some union heads, and that kicked off fights all over the place. In Sangrur, things got crazy when some of the workers climbed on buses and started throwing gas on the cops trying to get them down.
The local police chief in Dhuri got burned when his uniform caught fire. The cops arrested 10 protesters because of it.
Because of all this, bus service from the state company was still messed up in a lot of Punjab on Monday, and passengers were having a tough time.
