Ludhiana: Commuters across Punjab faced inconvenience at many places today (December 17) due to a strike called by contractual employees of a government transport undertaking to press for various demands. The protesting employees claimed that over 2,000 buses of the government's undertaking PUNBUS were off the roads at various bus depots during the state-wide protest. The protest affected passengers at various places in the state, including Ludhiana, Moga, Amritsar, and Ferozepur. Some passengers said they had to opt for private buses or taxis to reach their destination. The employees are protesting against the outsourcing of 28 posts of drivers. Their demands include the cancellation of recruitment through outsourcing and the formation of a better hiring policy for the department.


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An employee union leader in Ludhiana said the next decision on the strike will be taken after a meeting with the government slated in Chandigarh on Monday (December 19). In Amritsar, vice-president of the protesting employees union Jodh Singh said buses would remain off the roads till their demands are met. He said their demands also include immediate payment of the promised five percent hike to temporary workers.


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The employees are protesting against the outsourcing of 28 posts of drivers, and their demands include cancellation of recruitment through outsourcing and formation of a better hiring policy for the department. Many buses stayed off-road today which causes a lot of chaos and confusion in the state. 


A similar incident occured earlier in May, nearly 300 buses belonging to Mumbai's civic transport undertaking BEST remained off roads due to a flash strike by drivers over non-payment of salaries, causing inconvenience to scores of passengers. According to reports, BET has acquired these minibuses on lease from a private contractor.


(With inputs from PTI)