Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, November 15

Accusing the Chief Minister and the Transport Minister, Punjab, of not fulfilling their demands despite assurances, members of the Punjab Roadways, PUNBUS and PRTC Contract Workers Union Punjab staged a protest rally at their local depot here.

They are demanding from the government to regularise contractual employees. They announced that if their demands were not met, they would go on an indefinite strike from November 23 onwards.

Union leaders Satnam Singh and Shamsher Singh said the Chief Minister and the Transport Minister had earlier conducted a meeting and sought a time period of 20 days to regularise jobs of the contractual employees.

“The union had provided records regarding regularisation of jobs of various government departments. We had demanded from the government to regularise all contractual employees of PUNBUS and PRTC. The Chief Minister, Charanjit Singh Channi, had assured us that all contractual employees of the Transport Department will be regularised,” they said.

The protesting members said their jobs had not been regularised till date. The Chief Minister had not fulfilled his promise with the employees while claims made by the Transport Minister to improve the government transport services were baseless.

The union members said they would create awareness among people in the state against bad policies of the Congress government. They said: “We will go on an indefinite strike on November 23 and stage a protest outside the CM’s residence on November 24. Roads will also be blocked to mark the protest against the government.”