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Punjab government employees and roadways workers strike in Chandigarh

Several cities · pinned on Chandigarh, India · since Oct 21, 2026

Is it still on?

YESDay 4 and counting, since Oct 21.

Last report · checked

The Tea in three lines

Why they are protesting
Government employees and transport workers are protesting over pending pay, pension, and regularisation demands.
What they want
Release of pending dearness allowance, restoration of the Old Pension Scheme, and regularisation of contractual staff.
What changed
Oct 22: Negotiations between employee representatives and state officials remained inconclusive after two hours.
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Both sides

What protesters want

  • Release of pending dearness allowance instalments and arrears
  • Restoration of the Old Pension Scheme
  • Regularisation of contractual and outsourced staff
  • Restoration of 37 discontinued allowances
  • Implementation of the cashless health scheme

Organised by: Joint Action Committee, Punjab Roadways, PUNBUS and PRTC Contract Workers' Union, Sanjha Mullazam Manch, Sanjha Mullazam Front

What authorities say

The state government declared the mass casual leave 'unauthorised leave of absence'. Chief Secretary KAP Sinha and other officials held meetings with employee delegations, though negotiations remained inconclusive.12

The numbers

Only figures a source states, with who said it. Estimates often differ.

Crowd
300,000+
over 3 lakh staff taking mass casual leave1

The full story

Hundreds of thousands of government employees and contractual roadways workers took mass casual leave and extended strikes across Punjab, gathering in large numbers in Chandigarh and outside deputy commissioners' offices in all districts. The protests disrupted public transport and paralysed government offices, while healthcare institutions faced difficulties outside of emergency services. The agitation is spearheaded by unions including the Joint Action Committee, Sanjha Mullazam Manch, and Sanjha Mullazam Front. Their demands include the release of pending dearness allowance instalments and arrears, the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme, the regularisation of contractual staff, and the implementation of a cashless health scheme. State officials met with employee delegations, but negotiations remained inconclusive after authorities clarified that certain temporary teachers received tenure rather than regular status with full financial benefits. Union leaders criticized a government order declaring the mass casual leave unauthorised.

Timeline

  1. Employee representatives met Chief Secretary KAP Sinha, but the meeting remained inconclusive after two hours of negotiations.1

Pins sit on city centres, never on gathering points

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