Roadways staff strike hassles bus passengers

LUDHIANA: Bus passengers had to face a tough time commuting from Amar Shaheed Sukhdev Bus Terminal — the main bus stand — on Tuesday here, as Punjab Roadways employees (both contractual and permanent) went on a strike for more than two hours in support of a call given by the Punjab Roadways Joint Action Committee.

Members of the committee had organized a protest rally inside the city bus stand premises against transport minister Aruna Chaudhary for not fulfilling the long-pending demands of several unions working under the Punjab Roadways department here on Tuesday. A large number of roadways employees took part in the rally and raised slogans against the ‘anti-employee’ policies of the state government and management of Punjab Roadways. Protesters demanded regularization of workers working for more than three years, and also demanded for Punbus employees the same rules as applicable for regular employees of Punjab Roadways.

Speaking on the occasion, Manjit Singh, general secretary of Punjab Roadways Workers’ Union, said: “Punbus drivers and conductors work for around 14 hours a day as compared to the regular staff of Punjab Roadways, who work for only eight hours. Moreover, Punbus earns more revenue than Punjab Roadways. Despite that, the salary of Punbus employees is Rs8,500 per month, while regular Punjab Roadways employees earn Rs28,000 per month.”

Randir Singh, joint secretary of the union, alleged that contract workers of Punjab Roadways Workers’ Union were being harassed by senior officials of Punjab Roadways. “If traffic inspectors find a passenger travelling without ticket, rather than issuing a challan to the passenger, they suspend the Punbus conductor for three months, and also charge double the ticket amount from him, which is not the case with employees of Punjab Roadways.” Singh warned that employees would intensify their struggle if their demands were not met soon.

City-based passenger Gurvinder Singh, who reached the main bus stand to catch a bus for Chandigarh, said: “The state transport department should not allow members of any union to organize such protests at the main bus stand, because they give a tough time to bus commuters. I have to go for an interview at Chandigarh, but luxury bus employees asked me to use some other transport to reach my destination.”