PRTC contract staff stage protest, commuters harried

Patiala, September 14

Commuters were a harried lot as contract bus drivers and conductors of the PTRC and PUNBUS today held a two-hour protest at the bus stand here. The union leaders’ meeting with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, which was scheduled for September 14, has again been postponed to September 29.

The contract employees organised such two-hour protests at various bus stands across the state.

The PRTC workers said they had held numerous meetings with officials of the corporation and the state government. Jasdeep Singh Lalli, one of the protesters said, “The officials have accepted our demands but failed to implement them. Our demands include 5 per cent salary increment and same payment to contract employees for the same job. We have decided to start an indefinite protest from September 20 in case our demands are not met.”

He said they had held a number of meetings with senior officials of the PRTC and the Transport Department.

Harkesh Vicky said they were to hold a meeting with the Chief Minister, but it was postponed to September 14 due to the floods. “Now, they have again postponed the meeting to September 29. There are more than 7,500 contract workers in the PRTC and PUNBUS,” he said.

Meanwhile, the protesters stopped all government buses for two hours in the afternoon and also burned an effigy of the Chief Minister.