Passengers and travellers across the state of Punjab are likely to witness inconvenience on Monday as contractual employees linked to Punjab Roadways and the Punjab Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) announced a state-wide strike.
The strike comes over the growing dissatisfaction of the daily wagers' and contractual workers’ union over long-pending demands, including regularisation of employees, removal of the outsourcing system, and withdrawal of police cases registered against union members during previous year’s protests.
In a video statement released on Sunday evening, Union state president Resham Singh Gill said the employees had served strike notices on the government.
Gill said, “We have been assured several times that our legitimate demands would be addressed. During our recent meeting with the transport management on Thursday, we were again given assurances, but no notification was issued.”
“So the contractual workers of Punjab Roadways and PRTC joined the strike from Sunday midnight,” he said.
He said the Union was planning to hold hunger strikes in Mohali to coincide with the Punjab Assembly session.
Gill then said he and other members from the union are expected to meet Transport Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, who was scheduled for 10 am on Monday.
If the government fails to provide written assurances on our legitimate demands, the strike will continue indefinitely and the hunger strike will begin on Tuesday.
The union is demanding the regularisation of contractual employees who have been serving the department for 12 years.
It has also sought to bring outsourced workers, many of whom have worked for 16 years, under the department’s direct contractual system.
Another major demand is the withdrawal of police cases filed against the members of the union after an alleged altercation between police and protesters in November 2025.
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