Punjab Roadways Employees Observe Chakka-Jam, Demand Job Regularisation

Employees of the Punjab Roadways observed a state level chakka jam on Wednesday to press the Congress government in the state for meeting their long-pending demands.

In the run-up to the chakka jam, a rally had been organized on a call given by the Joint Action Committee of Punjab Roadways Employees’ Union on May 21 at Ludhiana. A large section of workers had taken part in the rally, raising slogans against the anti-worker policies of the Congress-led state government and the policies of the Punjab Roadways management.

During the protest rally, the employees and unions clearly warned the state government that they would intensify the protests if the government is not ready to meet their demands soon. Regularisation of contract workers, recruitment of more workforce, including drivers and conductors, equal pay for equal work, promotions for the deserving workers and a ban on private buses which are plying illegally without permits, are the main demands of the protesting workers.

“Ahead of the Assembly elections in the state, Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh had assured the contractual employees that their services will be regularized and more drivers and conductors will be recruited in the department, but none of these demands has been met with so far,” said Makhan Singh, the chairman of the Punjab Roadways Employees’ Union while addressing the protest rally on Monday.

“The state government has backtracked from its promise of increasing the fleet of Punjab Roadways buses. Besides this, workers offering their services under the contractual system are being exploited and their services are not being regularized despite repeated demands,” said Manjit Singh Gill, the state vice-president of the Punjab Government Transport Workers’ Union.

The workers and unions have also urged the government to do away with the system of imposing accident claims on bus drivers.

Earlier in March this year, the unions had submitted a letter of demand to the state government regarding the implementation of the guidelines of the Supreme Court on equal wages for equal work. In the demand letter, the unions had also urged the government to implement the Punjab and Haryana High Court order of making temporary workers permanent.

The Punjab and Haryana high court had over a year back ordered the cancellation of about 12,210 permits. However, since the state government was yet to implement it, all those buses are still plying. Acting on public interest litigation, the High Court had directed the government to cancel the permits and extension. In this, the petitioners had alleged that the transport was controlled by mafia and politicians. The bus route permits had been granted violating the Motor Vehicles Act 1988.

Though the state government announced a transport policy on February 22, 2018, it is yet to be finalized. However, the unions claimed that “the government was keen to protect private bus operators, most of whom were senior politicians.”