Punjab Roadways, Punbus and PRTC contract and outsourced workers held rallies at bus depots across Punjab on Tuesday and announced an indefinite strike from November 16, accusing the state government of delaying regularisation and failing to implement promised changes to their employment terms.
The Punjab Roadways Punbus/PRTC Contract Workers Union (25/11) also threatened to lay siege to the residences of the chief minister and transport minister if its demands are not addressed. The proposed strike could affect the operation of state-linked bus services, although the report does not specify the number of workers or routes that may be involved.
Union leaders said workers had held between 65 and 70 meetings with the government over the status of employees who have served the transport department for as long as 12 years. Their demands include direct departmental contracts for outsourced workers under Act No. 10 of August 14, 2026, regularisation of Punbus contractual employees with 11 years of service under PRTC rules, withdrawal of first information reports and police cases filed during earlier protests, and clearance of departmental cases arising during police verification.
Speaking at the Patiala depot, union state president Harkesh Kumar Vicky, along with Sahajpal Singh, Jasdeep Singh and Sultan Singh, alleged that offer letters presented by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to PRTC employees on October 26 had not changed workers’ employment status. Vicky said the letters were like “empty papers” because, according to the union, not a single employee had yet been brought on to a direct departmental contract.
The union alleged that the government had promised to end the contractor system but had introduced new eligibility conditions requiring between three and five years of outsourced service. It said those conditions would exclude some workers and showed that the government was not implementing its stated commitment in the manner workers had expected.
Union leaders further alleged a nexus between transport officials and private contractors. They claimed that the personnel and finance departments had cleared the relevant files three times, including after adjustments linked to Punjab Roadways’ financial losses, and that the transport minister had approved the service rules. According to the union, cabinet approval was still pending.
The workers also accused officials of disregarding directions from the transport secretary and delaying implementation of Act No. 10, which provides for bringing outsourced employees directly under departmental contracts. These claims were made by the union and were not independently established in the supplied report.
The dispute has moved through several recent administrative milestones. The union said the transport minister and personnel department assured representatives at an October 29 meeting that the issue would be resolved within two days, while rules were expected to be approved at the October 31 cabinet meeting. The workers’ latest rallies indicate that they believe those assurances have not produced the required employment orders.
The union’s next stated step is an indefinite strike beginning November 16, unless its demands are addressed before then. It has also warned of protests outside the residences of the chief minister and transport minister.
