Punbus, PRTC employees block Jalandhar highway

Gurpreet Singh, president Punbus/PRTC contract workers union Jalandhar said that the state government promised to end outsourcing of employees but they are again outsourcing

Jalandhar National Highway was on Saturday blocked by the employees of Punbus and PRTC during their protest against the state government for outsourcing more employees without getting previously outsourced employees permanent.

Commuters stuck in a long traffic jam during a demonstration by Punjab Roadways and PUNBUS employees over their various demands, at Pap Chowk, in Jalandhar on Saturday. (ANI photo)

Gurpreet Singh, president Punbus/PRTC contract workers union Jalandhar, stated that the state government promised to end outsourcing of employees and now on the contrary, they are again outsourcing. “Previously outsourced workers are already working on a very less pay scale and we demand that they should be regularised first and then new employees should be recruited on a permanent basis. If Chief Minister assures to meet us and fulfill our needs then we will definitely end our protest”, he added. Emergency vehicles and commuters were also seen affected by the protest. A commuter stated that there was no prior call of any strike leaving people in large numbers stranded. “The conductor didn’t tell us about the strike and we sat on the bus but as soon as we reached PAP chowk, the driver stopped the vehicle and joined the protest”, the commuter said.