Chandigarh: Govt work across Punjab was disrupted on Thursday as over 3 lakh employees joined a statewide Maha Hartal, while the govt prepared to act against those who remained absent from duty. CM Bhagwant Mann also cancelled a meeting with employee leaders in Jalandhar at the last minute.Employees took mass casual leave instead of reporting to work and staged protests at the Chandigarh secretariat and district headquarters. Routine work in OPDs, schools, colleges, universities, tehsils, revenue offices and govt-run transport services was affected, while emergency services continued.Sahil Sharma, general secretary of the Punjab Civil Secretariat Employees Union, said the strike was held from 9am to 5pm and employees across departments participated.The personnel department, in a letter titled “action regarding unauthorised absence of employees on duty”, directed administrative secretaries and department heads to compile lists of absent employees for action under applicable service rules. The letter said the absence had caused inconvenience to the public.Nearly an hour before his scheduled meeting with employee representatives in Jalandhar, Mann posted on X that dialogue and strikes could not continue together. “The govt is committed to resolving every issue, but dialogue will only take place once the strike is called off,” he said.Employees alleged they rejected a “conditional” meeting. Germanjit Singh, an employees’ leader, said their 16-member delegation reached PAP in Jalandhar but learnt about the CM’s post and was allegedly asked to issue a video statement withdrawing the strike before the meeting. “We rejected the state govt’s offer for a conditional meeting with the CM by putting the employees under pressure,” he said.At the Chandigarh secretariat, employees said their demands remained unresolved despite assurances before the assembly elections. Manjit Singh Randhawa, president of the Punjab Secretariat Officers’ Association, said employees had approached the court seeking release of pending DA.Pending dearness allowance is a key demand, with employee unions claiming nearly Rs 15,000 crore is outstanding. They are also seeking implementation of the Old Pension Scheme, pay-scale revisions and withdrawal of the three-year probation period for newly recruited employees.SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal also targeted the govt, posting on X that over 3 lakh employees had gone on leave over pending DA arrears.Challenge ahead of 2027 pollsThe agitation has drawn participation from employees across departments, with nearly 4 lakh retirees and contractual workers also supporting the demands, giving the protest a wider political significance ahead of the 2027 assembly elections.Next moveEmployees will hold protests at district headquarters on Aug 28 and 29, including burning the CM’s effigy and tearing copies of his social media post. The Joint Action Committee will meet in Ludhiana on Aug 30 to decide the next course of action, Sahil Sharma said.
