Punjab government enforces ‘no work, no pay’ as employees’ observe pen-down strike

According to a directive issued, officials received reports that many employees were marking their attendance before abandoning their duties

In a crackdown on striking state employees demanding pending dearness allowance (DA) and dearness relief (DR) arrears, the Punjab government on Tuesday implemented the strict ‘no work, no pay’ principle after a statewide pen-down strike paralysed administrative functioning across Punjab.

Offices at the mini-secretariat wearing a deserted look during the 'pen-down' strike in Bhatinda on Tuesday. (Sanjeev Kumar/HT)

According to a directive issued by the department of personnel to all top administrative secretaries, officials received reports that many employees were marking their attendance before abandoning their duties, causing disruption and public inconvenience during working hours. “Such employees will be treated as being on unauthorised absence and will not be paid salary following the established ‘no work, no pay principle’,” the personnel department wrote. It further stated that appropriate disciplinary action would also be initiated against all employees found absent.

The protesting employees, under the banner of the Sanjha Mulazam Manch, decided to extend the pen-down strike until Friday. “There has been no channel for talks with the government and the pending DA has also not been released. Therefore, we have decided to intensify the protest,” said Sahil Sharma, general secretary of the Civil Secretariat Employees’ Union.

Earlier in the day, the administrative work was hit as employees across the state secretariat, directorates, deputy commissioner offices and tehsil offices halted work. The protesters are demanding immediate release of ₹14,191 crore in pending dearness allowance (DA) and dearness relief (DR) arrears.

More than seven-lakh government employees and pensioners are seeking settlement of the arrears, which have accumulated over several years.

Employees posted at the civil and mini-secretariat in Chandigarh, state directorates and departments, as well as DC and tehsil offices across Punjab, participated in the protest. Demonstrations were held outside government offices, where employees raised slogans against the state government.

Hospital and transport employees kept themselves out of the mass leave to ensure that essential services remained operational.

The protest comes just days after a mass leave observed on August 27. The dispute intensified after chief minister Bhagwant Mann declined to meet union representatives in Jalandhar on August 27 unless they first withdrew the strike unconditionally. More than 150 unions functioning under the Sanjha Mulazim Manch subsequently decided to intensify the agitation.

Though a cabinet sub-committee, comprising Harpal Cheema, Aman Arora and Baljit Kaur, convened talks last week — leading to a state announcement matching the central government’s 60% DA rate — employees insisted on full settlement of arrears in line with an August 3 Punjab and Haryana high court ruling. The high court had ordered the state to clear all ₹14,191 crore in pending dues within 14 days at a 6% simple interest penalty, while quashing the state’s proposed five-year phased payout plan.

On Monday night, state industries and commerce minister Aman Arora termed the strike illegal, stating that the DA dispute remains sub judice in the Supreme Court. The state government has appealed against the high court verdict before the apex court, arguing that releasing ₹14,191 crore in a fortnight without legislative sanction from the consolidated fund is constitutionally impossible and would collapse public welfare spending.

Arora urged staff not to become political tools or cause public hardship, warning that unlawful disruption would trigger disciplinary action. Union leaders, however, said that peaceful protest is a constitutional right and demanded the withdrawal of show-cause notices issued over the August 27 strike before further talks. They maintained that essential public operations remain unaffected.

The Manch now plans to hold a mock Vidhan Sabha session on September 30, followed by coordinated blockades of ministers’ residences in October.

End strike, Arora urges unions

Cabinet minister Aman Arora has appealed to employee organisations to end the ongoing strike and resume their duties so that the people of Punjab do not face inconvenience. Arora said the government has already taken concrete steps to address employee concerns. “For around 85,000 employees recruited after July 17, 2020, we have already decided to provide DA at 60%, bringing their DA to par with the central government rate,” he said. The minister said the broader DA and arrears matter is already before the Supreme Court and the government will abide by the apex court’s decision.”We believe that every genuine concern can be resolved through mutual understanding,” he said.

Employees hold demonstrations in Doaba

Government functioning was affected across the Doaba region on Tuesday as employees staged demonstrations at district administrative complexes and tehsil offices in Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar districts. The employees wore black badges and kept government work suspended throughout the day.

Official work affected in Bathinda, other dists

In Bathinda and other districts of southwest Punjab, work in several government departments was affected as ministerial staff went on a pen-down strike.

Residents who had travelled to district administrative complexes to get official work done were forced to return without completing their tasks.

A resident at the Bathinda district administrative complex said he had gone to submit a land sale deed but found the concerned officials absent. He said he would now have to schedule another appointment to complete the paperwork.

The disruption caused inconvenience to people who had travelled from different areas to access government services.

Employees raise multiple demands

In Amritsar, a pen-down strike by government employees affected work at the deputy commissioner’s office and several other departments.

Ashneel Kumar Sharma, president of the DC Office Employees’ Union, Amritsar, said the strike was held on the call of the state unit and maintained that the employees’ demands were genuine.

Besides DA arrears, employees are demanding promotions, implementation of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) and resolution of salary-related issues faced by newly recruited employees.