DA instalments, pension revision, OPS: What Punjab government employees want

DA News: Punjab government employees staged a protest this week demanding that the state fulfil their long-pending demands, including dearness allowance, according to a PTI report.

Employees across the state held a mass casual leave protest on Wednesday, 21 October, demanding DA instalments, payment of DA arrears, and restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), revision of pension and restoration of 37 discontinued allowances, it added.

Wide-scale participation in protest

The report said the strike saw participation by employees of various government departments and contractual workers of Punjab Roadways and PUNBUS, affecting public transport services in some parts of the state.

In Hoshiarpur, the Sanjhi Talmel Committee (Joint Coordination Committee) held a district-level protest rally outside the District Administrative Complex, with employees from various departments participating after taking mass casual leave, it added.

The agitation is being held under the banner of the Punjab Employees and Pensioners Joint Front and the Joint Employees Platform Punjab.

What are the key demands?

Employees want pending DA instalments and arrears, pension revision, restoration of OPS, restoration of discontinued allowances, regularisation of the services of mid-day meal, Anganwadi and ASHA workers, withdrawal of the July 17, 2020 notification imposing central pay scales on Punjab employees and the January 15, 2015 notification relating to the three-year probation period, and restoration of the cashless health scheme.

• Addressing the rally, employee and pensioner leaders alleged that the state government was pursuing policies detrimental to the interests of employees, pensioners, farmers and labourers.
• They accused the government of spending public money on publicity instead of addressing people's grievances and alleged that the government had not shown seriousness in resolving their demands.
• They also warned that protests would intensify if the government failed to address their demands through meaningful dialogue.

Opposition supports employee protests

The report added that Opposition and Punjab Congress president Pargat Singh said the mass casual leave taken by nearly three lakh government employees over their demands was a major indication of a crisis of confidence in the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann government.

In a statement, Singh said the state government should immediately initiate talks with employee union representatives, make clear decisions on their legitimate demands, and ensure time-bound solutions.

He further added that the mass casual leave and employee protests served as a warning that people's concerns could not be ignored indefinitely, as per the report.