Chandigarh: Public bus services across Punjab are set to return to normal operations after the PUNBUS and PEPSU Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) Contract Workers Union officially called off its three-day statewide strike and canceled its planned protest march toward Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s official residence in Chandigarh. The decision was announced on Tuesday following a series of high-level negotiations during which state government officials handed over a formal written commitment agreeing to address the key grievances and long-pending demands of the contractual employees.
The agitation, which commenced on August 3, had severely impacted public transit across multiple bus depots in the state, causing widespread inconvenience to daily commuters, office workers, and women who rely heavily on state-run bus networks for daily travel. Contractual staff had initially called for a three-day shutdown from August 3 to August 5 to press for demands including the regularisation of long-serving contractual workers, the abolition of the outsourcing system, and the withdrawal of police cases registered against union members during previous demonstrations.
Tensions escalated on Tuesday during the second day of the strike when initial talks between union representatives and state authorities stalled due to the absence of a written framework. In response, union leaders prepared to launch a march toward the Chief Minister’s residence. However, government representatives intervened within minutes, issuing an official written assurance promising to resolve the primary grievances through systematic administrative channels.
Speaking on the development, Union State President Resham Singh confirmed that the leadership called off both the strike and the planned march after receiving the signed agreement. He noted that state-level union representatives held an immediate meeting to issue instructions for drivers and conductors to resume normal bus routes promptly. A crucial follow-up meeting between the union leadership and senior Punjab government officials has been formally scheduled for August 14 to review the implementation progress and finalize permanent administrative solutions for the workforce.
