Punjab employees, pensioners hold Patiala protest

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Hundreds of employees and pensioners staged a protest outside the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Patiala on Thursday, the second day of a two-day mass leave agitation, demanding the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme and fulfilment of their pending demands by the Punjab Government.

The demonstration was organised jointly by the Punjab Employees and Pensioners Joint Front and the Coordination Committee of Employees’ Manch Punjab. Protesters gathered near the Verka booth outside the Deputy Commissioner’s office and marched to Main Lights Chowk.

Coordination committee leaders, including Dhanwant Singh Bhatthal, Sukhwinder Singh Saini, Khushwinder Singh Kapila, Jaswinder Singh Soja, Gurmel Singh Virk, Hari Singh Tohra and Gurdeep Singh Walia, accused the state government of failing to honour its commitments to employees, pensioners and honorarium workers.

They alleged that the state government failed to pay dearness allowance instalments and arrears despite directions from the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Their demands also included applying the 2.59 multiplication factor to pensioners and employees in unrevised categories, restoring the Old Pension Scheme and the Assured Career Progression (ACP) scheme, and regularising contractual and outsourced employees.

The protesters also sought Punjab pay scales for employees recruited after July 17, 2020, full salaries during probation and the merger of computer teachers into the Education Department. They demanded the withdrawal of the May 16, 2023, policy and the application of Civil Services Rules and Punjab pay scales to special cadre teachers and other employees.

Other leaders, including Sant Ram Cheema, Nahar Singh, Gurpreet Panesar, Ravinder Sharma and Darshan Singh, alleged that the government was presenting an 8 percent dearness allowance increase as though it had resolved employees’ and pensioners’ concerns, despite several demands remaining pending.

The leaders said the agitation would continue until the government met their demands. Representatives of the Bharatiya Kisan Union and the Jamhoori Kisan Sabha also supported the protest.