Punjab Roadways, PRTC contract staff call off strike after govt assurance

Tribune Reporters

Chandigarh/Ferozepur/ Patiala, September 20

The public transport system in the state came to a standstill as contractual workers of the Punjab Roadways and Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) observed a daylong strike seeking an increase in their wages, besides regularisation and a direct contract system.

Will address genuine demands: Bhullar

• The strike was called off at 2 pm on Wednesday following a meeting between the contractual workers’ union office-bearers and Transport Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar
• Promising to address their genuine demands, he told officials to pay the next salary to employees with a 5% hike and reinstate ‘blacklisted’ employees as per rules

Passengers, especially those travelling to other states, were the worst affected as the authorities were forced to divert inter-state buses on domestic routes to lessen the impact of the strike.

The PRTC and PUNBUS contract workers’ union said of the total 3,000 buses, 1,800 did not run as employees staged protest outside the bus stands across the state.

Transport Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar directed the officials to pay the next salary to employees with a 5 per cent increase and reinstate the ‘blacklisted’ employees as per the rules.

Union president Harjinder Singh said the state government had promised to increase our salary as per the decision taken in meeting, but the increment was still an issue.