Public services across Punjab were thrown into disarray as more than three lakh government employees and over 3.5 lakh pensioners went on a statewide strike, pressing the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government to release pending dearness allowance, implement the Old Pension Scheme, regularise contractual workers and address other long-pending service demands.
The agitation, called under the banner of the Punjab Sanjha Mulazam Manch that brings together more than 150 employee organisations, was described by employee leaders as one of the largest mobilisations of government staff and pensioners in recent years. Government offices across the state either remained closed or reported thin attendance as employees stayed away after taking mass casual leave. Demonstrations were held at district headquarters and other locations, with protesters raising slogans against the state government.
Political Stakes Before Assembly Polls
The timing of the strike, coming months before the Punjab assembly elections, sharpened the political stakes. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who was scheduled to meet employee representatives in Jalandhar, said talks could proceed only after the strike was called off. “Employees are an important part of our family and we are ready to listen to every legitimate concern they have. But dialogue and strike cannot proceed together,” Mann posted on X. The government, he added, was committed to resolving legitimate grievances, but dialogue would resume only after the strike was withdrawn. Employee organisations rejected the precondition, saying their demands had remained unaddressed despite repeated assurances and called for unconditional talks.
Healthcare Services Hit Hard
Healthcare services were among the worst hit. Outpatient department (OPD) services at government hospitals and health centres were suspended in several districts as doctors, nursing staff, paramedical personnel and other employees joined the strike.
In Hoshiarpur, the Punjab Civil Medical Services Association (PCMSA) boycotted OPD services at the civil hospital and community health centres, saying elective surgeries had been postponed. Emergency services, maternity and child care, emergency surgeries, treatment of already admitted patients, medico-legal work and postmortems continued as usual, according to the association. In Amritsar, doctors held a demonstration at Guru Nanak Dev Hospital, with OPD services suspended but emergency services running. Government health facilities in Ferozepur were also affected, and Aam Aadmi Clinics in the district remained shut.
Patients and their attendants bore the brunt. At the Sangrur civil hospital, a patient attendant said he had faced difficulties arranging treatment for his mother, admitted with tuberculosis, and claimed he had to buy medicines from outside. Emergency services, however, continued.
Offices and Schools Crippled Across Districts
Schools, colleges and government offices were hit across multiple districts. In Hoshiarpur, government schools remained closed as teachers and clerical staff observed mass casual leave. Government College, Hoshiarpur, saw thin attendance as most regular teaching and clerical staff stayed away, though ad hoc employees remained on duty. In Sangrur and Barnala, several government offices were closed or ran with skeletal staff. In Bathinda and other parts of south Malwa, employees held demonstrations near district administrative complexes, and hospital OPDs were affected. In the Doaba region, employees gathered outside district and tehsil administrative complexes, with administrative work and public dealing largely suspended; nursing, paramedical and National Health Mission staff joined the protest. In Jalandhar, employees gathered at the mini-secretariat and reportedly had a minor altercation with police after protesters tried to block BMC Chowk. Across the Majha region, including Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Gurdaspur and Pathankot, government offices and public institutions saw thin attendance. In Pathankot, the Punjab Employees-Pensioners Joint Front organised a protest at the bus stand, with employees marching through Railway Road before gathering at Valmiki Chowk, where they staged a demonstration and burnt an effigy of the state government.
Key Demands of the Agitating Employees
The protesters’ key demands include release of 18% pending dearness allowance instalments and arrears, implementation of the Old Pension Scheme, regularisation of contractual employees, minimum wages for mid-day meal, ASHA and Anganwadi workers, restoration of the Assured Career Progression scheme and extension of Punjab pay scales to employees recruited after July 17, 2020. Employee leaders said the government had failed to release pending DA instalments and arrears despite repeated assurances, and also raised pension-related issues for employees appointed under various categories.
State-owned bus services continued to operate in several areas, and there were no reports of attempts to disrupt road or railway traffic.
Opposition Mounts Attack on Mann Government
Opposition parties seized on the strike to attack the Mann government. Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring urged the Chief Minister to resolve the dispute through dialogue rather than confrontation and expressed solidarity with the protesting employees, calling government staff an essential part of the administrative machinery. Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal criticised the government over the mass leave protest, accusing it of failing to fulfil commitments made to employees and pensioners. Punjab BJP chief Kewal Singh Dhillon alleged that the government was attempting to intimidate employees by seeking lists of those absent from duty, and urged it to drop any punitive approach in favour of negotiations. Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar-Surat) president Giani Harpreet Singh also appealed to the government to shun confrontation and address employees’ concerns through dialogue.