Contractual employees of Punjab Roadways end strike

However, they soon resumed it, demanding the release of the arrested and detained employees and reinstatement of those suspended.The state-wide protests by the workers began on November 28 with a denunciation of the opening of tenders under the kilometre-based bus scheme, which they claimed was a backdoor attempt to allow private players to operate on government-notified routes.

Contractual workers of Punjab's road transport corporation ended their strike on Tuesday after the state government accepted their key demands of revoking the suspension of employees and release of those arrested during the protest.

The call-off brought relief to passengers who had been at the receiving end since it began on November 28.

Punjab Roadways, Punbus, and Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) Contract Workers Union leader Resham Singh Gill announced the end of the strike on Tuesday.

He said that the government has agreed to revoke the suspension of employees and release those arrested.

Gill said, during a meeting with Transport Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar on November 30, a consensus was reached that the government would revoke the suspension of employees and release of arrested or detained employees.

The government, however, stopped short of issuing any order on its promises that day.

Gill said the government also approved 900 new government buses, with a formal announcement already made.

Another meeting with the transport minister will be held to resolve the workers' other issues.

On November 30, the transport workers called off their strike after a meeting with the minister. However, they soon resumed it, demanding the release of the arrested and detained employees and reinstatement of those suspended.

The state-wide protests by the workers began on November 28 with a denunciation of the opening of tenders under the kilometre-based bus scheme, which they claimed was a backdoor attempt to allow private players to operate on government-notified routes. Workers claimed that the move threatened thousands of jobs in the state transport sector.

Under the scheme, private operators lease buses to the transport department and are paid a fixed rate per kilometre.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)