Punjab government employees’ strike imperils salary disbursal for over 2 lakh workers

The ongoing strike by ministerial staff across 50 government departments in Punjab, despite the government’s stance, is poised to disrupt the timely payment of salaries to over 2 lakh state employees—excluding those in the Chandigarh secretariat.
Since November 8, these employees have maintained their strike, recently extending it until December 6 due to the lack of communication from the government for negotiation talks. Their key demands include the reinstatement of the old pension scheme, clearance of three pending dearness allowance installments, and regularization of contractual employees.
This strike has significantly inconvenienced the public, impacting day-to-day operations across departments.
Amrik Singh Sandhu, president of the Punjab State Ministerial Services Union (PSMSU), highlighted, “Treasury department staff are also striking alongside us. Every government department’s ministerial staff prepares salary slips sent to the Treasury department, which hasn’t been completed this month. Consequently, November salaries may face delays unless our concerns are addressed.”
“Salaries are typically issued on the first of each month. This affects over 2 lakh employees in Punjab across various departments, including officers, deputy commissioners, and others. Even we won’t receive our salaries unless the government engages with us,” Sandhu emphasized.