Chandigarh: Government offices across Punjab are expected to face disruption on November 5 and 6 as employees under the Punjab State Ministerial Services Union (PSMSU) observe a two-day pen-down and computer shutdown strike over pending demands.
The state-wide protest has been called against what the union describes as the Punjab government’s continued failure to address long-standing demands of employees and pensioners.
Under the strike, employees will refrain from carrying out official work, potentially affecting administrative services for people visiting government offices.
Vishalveer Singh, district president of the union’s Pathankot unit, said employee organisations had been submitting memorandums and raising their concerns in meetings with the government for the past five years. However, he alleged that their demands had repeatedly been ignored.
Why Are Punjab Government Employees On Strike?
The union has listed several demands, including the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), payment of pending instalments of Dearness Allowance (DA) and changes in pension-related benefits.
Its key demands include:
- Withdrawal of July 17, 2020 letter: The union wants the government to withdraw the letter, which it says goes against employees’ interests.
- Restoration of OPS: Employees are demanding the complete restoration of the Old Pension Scheme.
- Pending DA instalments: The union wants all outstanding DA instalments to be released.
- Pension revision: It has demanded the application of a 2.59 multiplication factor for pensioners.
- Regularisation of temporary staff: Employees working on temporary or contractual arrangements in different departments should be made permanent.
Employees Reject Punjab Government’s 3% DA Hike
The strike comes shortly after the Punjab government announced a three-percentage-point increase in Dearness Allowance for government employees and pensioners, taking the DA rate from 50% to 53%, effective November 1.
However, the protesting employees have reportedly rejected the announcement, maintaining that the increase does not address their demand for payment of earlier pending DA dues, along with interest.
The union has also raised concerns over the government’s handling of employee and pensioner benefits, alleging that the outstanding dues remain unresolved.
Five-Day Disruption Expected Due To Holidays
The two-day strike on November 5 and 6, followed by the weekend and the Vishwakarma Day holiday, is expected to affect government office work over five days.
The union’s protest follows demonstrations by PSMSU employees in Jalandhar, where members reportedly announced the pen-down strike while burning an effigy of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
The impact on individual government services may vary depending on employee participation and departmental arrangements.
