A continuous dharna and protest march will commence in Sangrur on May 20, succeeded by an extensive “chakka jam” throughout Punjab from May 25 to 27.
The Punjab Roadways, Punbus, and PRTC Contract Workers Union has declared a protest against the Punjab Government, featuring a continual demonstration at Sangrur starting May 20 and a total transport strike across the state from May 25 to 27.
The choice was made in a significant union meeting led by state founder Kamal Kumar and chairman Balwinder Singh Rath. In the meeting, union representatives intensely condemned the government’s purported anti-worker policies and charged it with neglecting longstanding requests from transport employees.
State president Resham Singh Gill and senior vice-president Harkesh Kumar Vicky stated that over four years have elapsed since the current government’s establishment, yet not one new government bus has been incorporated into the transport fleet. They claimed that the government is endorsing private buses through the “kilometre scheme” to advantage private operators, which they referred to as a step towards the privatisation of the transport department.
The leaders voiced their discontent regarding the filing of serious criminal charges, such as Section 307 of the IPC, against employees who were protesting. They claimed that numerous employees have been incarcerated for the last six months simply for advocating their constitutional and democratic rights.
State secretary Shamsher Singh and vice-president Jatinder Singh claimed that the government aims to take advantage of temporary workers until they reach 58 by introducing a “special cadre policy,” even after favorable rulings from the Supreme Court and High Court supporting employees.
They also mentioned that holdups in the disbursement of reimbursements for complimentary travel programs have led to monetary issues for the department, impacting salary disbursements and the acquisition of spare parts.
The union cautioned that if the May 18 meeting with the government did not yield an acceptable resolution for the release of imprisoned employees and other requests, the protests would escalate. A continuous dharna and protest march will commence in Sangrur on May 20, succeeded by an extensive “chakka jam” throughout Punjab from May 25 to 27. The union also revealed intentions to encircle the Chief Minister’s residence during the protest.
PRTC Azad Union state president Bhola Singh also extended full support to the protest. Several union leaders, including Pradeep Kumar, Jagjit Singh, Bhagat Singh and Ranjit Singh, were present at the meeting.
