Ludhiana: Punjab Roadways, Punbus, and PRTC Contract Workers’ Union held a rally at the depot to pay tribute to martyrs Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev while simultaneously raising concerns about privatisation and pending salaries.Addressing workers at the Ludhiana depot, union state secretary Shamsher Singh Dhillon said Bhagat Singh’s sacrifice continues to inspire struggles against injustice. He recalled that the revolutionary was martyred on March 23, 1931. Dhillon said that decades after the end of the British rule, exploitation continued in different forms. He also accused the present govt of suppressing voices of dissent.He claimed that workers protesting against privatisation were booked in false cases and some were jailed. He claimed that though union representatives had repeatedly proven that such schemes caused financial losses to the department, yet tenders were being pushed through. Protesters demanded discontinuation of the kilometre scheme and all privatisation and urged the govt to add a large fleet of buses to strengthen public trasport instead. They also urged the Punjab govt to end the contract system, remove contractors, and regularise all employees.Union’s depot president Jatinder Singh claimed that outsourcing had led to exploitation of workers. He said contractors are deducting employees’ EPF and ESI contributions without depositing them on time, while making unauthorised salary cuts. He added that despite pre-election promises to abolish the contract system and regularise employees, no such steps have been taken so far.
