Government employees in Punjab are set to observe a two-day 'pen-down' strike starting Thursday, November 5, following a protest by the Punjab State Ministerial Services Union (PSMSU) in Jalandhar.
The union announced the strike after holding a protest and burning an effigy over its pending demands. State President Tajinder Singh said employees had held several meetings with the government, but the discussions had not resulted in any concrete decisions.
The union has stated that the strike will be observed across Punjab for two days, however, if a meeting takes place with the government and leads to a resolution before the strike begins, the employees may call off their protest.
The employees are pressing for the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), payment of 10% outstanding Dearness Allowance (DA), regularisation of contractual employees and timely disbursement of salaries.
The union has also raised the issue of reinstatement and regularisation of contractual employees, stating that these demands remain unresolved despite discussions with the government.
Tajinder Singh said the employees were initially planning to observe a two-day pen-down strike, and added that if the government failed to address their demands, the union could consider extending the agitation in the future.
During the strike, employees will stop routine official work as part of their protest. The union has maintained that its decision to go on strike follows the lack of progress on its demands.
