Contractual employees of the state-owned Punjab Roadways on Friday announced a three-day strike from August 3 to August 5 to press the state government to address their long-pending demands, including regularisation of their services.
The Punjab Roadways, Punbus, and PRTC Contract Workers' Union slammed the AAP government, accusing it of failing to accept their demands despite discussing them in about 70 meetings over the past four years.
The union said rallies would be organised at all depots across the state on July 27 before the state-wide strike.
They also threatened to hold a 'dharna' outside the residences of the Punjab Transport Minister Sardar Laljit Singh Bhulla and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, if their demands are not met.
Speaking to reporters here, union president Resham Singh Gill said the AAP had promised before coming to power to regularise contractual employees, abolish the contract system and ensure full salaries, but had failed to fulfil any of these commitments.
He further said although a sub-committee was formed soon after the AAP government came to power to resolve their issues, it has not been able to reach any conclusion even after four years.
Gill further also accused the government of promoting privatisation through the kilometre scheme instead of strengthening the state-owned transport fleet.
Union's general secretary Shamsher Singh Dhillon and vice-president Harkesh Kumar Vicky alleged that nearly 400 ordinary buses and around 35 Volvo buses owned by the department remain off the roads due to non-availability of spare parts, tyres and batteries, while private buses operating under the kilometre scheme were being given preference.
The union leaders also claimed that around 800 government buses had become unserviceable during the present government's tenure, and that no new buses had been added to the fleet so far, even though the government had announced plans to procure 696 buses.
They said the government sought 10 days during a June 24 meeting to prepare a draft policy for regularising transport employees and resolving other pending demands but failed to act.
