Employees and Pensioners Launch Offensive Against Mann Government in Punjab: Call for a Decisive Battle…
Faridkot (Alexander D’Souza): Lakhs of state employees and pensioners have sounded the bugle for a decisive battle against the Bhagwant Mann government in Punjab over their long-pending demands. The Punjab State Ministerial Services Union, Sanjha Mulazam Manch Punjab, and Punjab Mulazam and Pensioner Sanjha Front have formed a joint coordination committee. A crucial meeting was held at the local Pensioners’ Bhawan in Faridkot under the slogan “Today’s Main Need: Great Unity, Fierce Struggle,” presided over by State President Gurnam Singh Virk (Chief Convener, Sanjha Mulazam Manch Punjab). “This government has proven to be worse than all previous governments when it comes to resolving demands.
In the future, the public and employees will not forgive the Aam Aadmi Party”:
Addressing the meeting and outlining the roadmap for the struggle (Protest Calendar), employee unions announced the following major demonstrations to corner the government:
5 July 2026: Massive protest in front of the residence of Punjab Assembly Speaker S. Kultar Singh Sandhwan in his village, Sandhwan.
11 July 2026: Vigorous protest in Faridkot in front of the residence of Cabinet Minister and Cabinet Sub-Committee member Dr. Baljit Kaur.
17 July 2026: State-level mega-rally in Mohali, where a pledge will be taken to withdraw the ‘Central Scale’ notification.
Key Demands of Employees and Pensioners:
During the meeting, leaders presented their major demands to the government, which are as follows: S.No. Key Demands:
1 The Chief Minister should immediately hold a panel meeting with employee leadership to resolve the issues.
2 Six installments of outstanding DA (Dearness Allowance) should be released immediately at an 18% rate.
3 The 2.59 coefficient for pensioners should be implemented immediately.
4 The Old Pension Scheme (OPS) should be immediately restored on the ground. 5 All temporary and contractual employees should be regularized with full salary and allowances.
6 ASHA workers, mid-day meal workers, and Anganwadi workers should be granted government employee status and paid full salaries.
7 Most crucial demand: The notification regarding the 7th Pay Commission—implemented by the Centre for employees recruited after July 17, 2020—must be immediately revoked. Warning to teach ‘AAP’ a lesson in the elections:
Employee leaders (including Jatinder Kumar, Inderjit Singh Kheeva, Bikramjit Singh Dhillon, and Sukhvinder Singh Sukhi) have issued a clear warning: if the Mann government fails to address their legitimate demands, the Aam Aadmi Party will be voted out of power in the upcoming Punjab Assembly elections.
Key figures present:
A large number of employees attended the meeting, including pensioner leaders Som Nath Arora, Engineer Jeet Singh, Upinder Pal Singh, Bishan Kumar Arora, Sukhdev Singh (BPEO), Ajit Singh Khalsa, Ramesh Kaushal, and Darshan Singh Virdi, as well as teacher leaders Narinder Kumar, Rajinder Kumar, and Jitendra Kumar.
News: 29-2,
Photo:
