Offering temporary relief to thousands of NEET aspirants, Punbus and PRTC contractual workers on Saturday postponed their proposed June 22 strike by two days. The union, however, announced a statewide strike from June 24 to 26 and threatened a protest outside the chief minister’s residence over unresolved employee issues.The decision to defer the protest was taken during a state committee meeting of the Punjab Roadways, Punbus and PRTC Contract Workers Union held at Isru Bhawan in Ludhiana. (HT Photo)The proposed agitation is likely to affect bus services across Punjab, including operations originating from Ludhiana, one of the state’s busiest transport hubs.Union leaders said responsibility for any disruption would rest with the state government and the transport department.The decision to defer the protest was taken during a state committee meeting of the Punjab Roadways, Punbus and PRTC Contract Workers Union held at Isru Bhawan in Ludhiana. Representatives from all 27 depots across the state attended the meeting and reviewed the status of discussions with the government and transport department.State secretary Shamsher Singh Dhillon said the union had originally planned to launch the strike on June 22 but decided to defer it after the government announced free travel arrangements for students appearing for the NEET examination. “Keeping the interests of students in mind, we have deferred the strike by two days. However, the government has failed to implement the commitments made to employees. There has been no concrete progress on regularisation, implementation of court orders or other pending issues,” he said.The union alleged that despite repeated assurances, the government has failed to regularise contractual employees, implement court directions, ensure equal pay for equal work, remove contractors and formulate a comprehensive policy for contractual workers.Addressing the meeting, state president Resham Singh Gill accused the government of failing to honour promises made to employees despite being in power for more than four years.“The government had promised job security and regularisation for contractual workers, but not a single employee has been regularised so far. Instead of strengthening Punjab Roadways and PRTC, the focus is increasingly shifting towards privatisation through the kilometre scheme,” Gill said.Union leaders alleged that while state-owned buses remain off roads due to shortages of spare parts and delays in procurement, private buses operating under the kilometre scheme continue to receive preference. They further claimed that commitments made during multiple rounds of meetings with employee representatives remain unfulfilled.The workers’ body also alleged that several union members continue to face legal action and that some employees were jailed during previous phases of the agitation. They also claimed that instead of resolving issues through dialogue, the government was attempting to suppress employees’ voices.Senior vice-president of the union, Harkesh Kumar Vicky, accused the government of exploiting young contractual workers while simultaneously projecting itself as employee-friendly. “The government speaks about regularising employees, but on the ground, contractual workers continue to face uncertainty. Delays in releasing payments for free travel schemes and other operational expenses are also affecting the functioning of the transport system,” he said.The union warned that employees from depots across Punjab would participate in the June 24-26 strike and stage a protest outside the chief minister’s residence if their demands remain unaddressed. Leaders said the agitation could be intensified further if the government continues to delay action on issues pending for years.