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Punjab Roadways, PRTC staff to continue protest, talks with govt inconclusive
The strike was triggered by action taken against the bus conductor by roadways management for alleged dereliction of duty after a passenger was found travelling without ticket.
Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) and Punjab Roadways Contractual Employees’ Union decided to continue their strike after talks with the state government on Monday remained inconclusive. The PRTC and Punjab Roadways employees are on strike to protest against the suspension of a conductor of Batala depot and transfers of contractual employees. The striking employees’ leaders met additional principal secretary to chief minister (APSCM) Himanshu Jain and director, state transport, Amandeep Kaur, but they failed to come to an agreement.
The strike was triggered by action taken against the bus conductor by the roadways management for alleged dereliction of duty after a passenger was found traveling without ticket. The employees’ union claimed that the conductor was not at fault. Jain and Kaur held talks with a delegation of union led by state president Resham Singh.
It was decided in the meeting that on duty enquiry against suspended conductor Pritpal Singh will be completed within three days, according to an official release. Director, state transport, also gave her nod to review the transfers of employees from Ferozepur to Patti within seven days as per the rules of the department. However, the striking employees, who have been seeking immediate reinstatement of conductor, were not satisfied and announced to continue their protest.
The employees’ unions have also been demanding regularisation of services of contractual employees and stop to the system of engaging staff through outsourcing. The government spokesperson said that during the meeting, the other pending demands of the state employees were also deliberated upon and were noted by the officers for further action. The officers assured the delegation that the senior officers of the state government will be apprised about the genuine demands of the union. They said that these demands will be considered sympathetically for which a meeting will be held again on December 12.
After the meeting, Resham Singh told a TV channel that their talks with the government officials were inconclusive . “The protest will be intensified. We will stage a protest outside the chief minister’s residence on Tuesday,” he said
Meanwhile, with the ongoing blockade of PRTC and Roadways depot by contractual employees entering the fifth day on Monday, government bus services remained disrupted leaving the passengers in a lurch. The union members have announced to stage a protest outside chief minister Bhagwant Mann’s official residence in Chandigarh on Tuesday. As only a limited number of Punjab Roadways buses with regular staff and those under the ‘km scheme’ were running, passengers had to go through an ordeal and were left with no option but to take private buses which were overcrowded and also overcharged.
Shamsher Singh, general secretary of the PRTC/Punbus/Punjab Roadways Contractual employees’ union, said, “We today met the additional principal secretary to the CM, Himanshu Jain to discuss our demands. The officer assured us to fulfill the demands but did not give any immediate relief,”
Commuters in Bathinda and adjoining districts were also harried after the contract and outsourced employees of the state transport undertakings abstained from duty for the second consecutive day on Monday. Workers staged protests at different stations and threatened to intensify agitation if their demands including, the reinstatement of a bus conductor of Batala depot after the withdrawal of an inquiry order against him.
