In the midst of ongoing strikes by the Punjab State Ministerial Services Union (PSMSU), the state government employees are still awaiting their November salaries. Responding to the prolonged unrest, the cabinet sub-committee, led by Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, finally invited the union for discussions on Tuesday.
Since November 8, employees from over 50 departments have been on a pen-down strike, significantly impacting the operations of government departments across districts and causing inconvenience to the public.
The state government’s clerical staff, responsible for processing government employees’ salaries, is at the forefront of the protest against the government. The employees are demanding the implementation of the old pension scheme (OPS), the release of pending dearness allowance (DA) instalments, and the regularization of contractual staff. Amandeep Singh, Vice-President of the PSMSU, highlighted that this meeting marks the first time the state government has called for discussions since the start of the strike. He emphasized that if their demands are not met, they will actively oppose the ruling party in upcoming civic body and Lok Sabha elections. Expressing solidarity, various employees’ unions, including those of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) and the Punjab Civil Medical Services Association (PCMSA), have extended support to the ministerial staff’s strike, according to the protesting employees. Sukhdev Singh, General Secretary of the Ministerial Services Union (PSPCL), announced that PSPCL staff would also observe a strike on Tuesday to assert their demands, including the implementation of revised salary scales and payment of pension arrears