Punjab govt orders 'no work, no pay' as employees extend strike over DA dues

Government employees have extended their pen-down strike till September 11, pressing for pending dearness allowance dues and withdrawal of disciplinary action.

The Punjab government has ordered the 'no work, no pay' principle for employees participating in the ongoing agitation over pending dearness allowance (DA) dues, as government workers extended their pen-down strike till September 11.

Chief Secretary KAP Sinha directed all administrative secretaries to deduct salaries for the period employees remain absent from duty. 

The order comes as ministerial staff continued their strike across the state, disrupting work at government offices, including the Civil and Mini Secretariats in Chandigarh and district administrative complexes.

Essential services, including buses, schools and healthcare institutions, continued to operate.

Employees demand DA arrears, withdrawal of notices

The employees are demanding payment of pending DA dues and withdrawal of show-cause notices and disciplinary proceedings initiated against those who participated in the August 27 agitation.

Punjab Sanjha Mulazam Manch convener Sukhchain Singh Khaira said the pen-down strike had been extended till Friday, September 11. “The government will not be able to silence us. We will continue to protest till the time we are given our DA dues,” he said.

Unions have also opposed the government's decision to treat mass casual leave taken during the earlier agitation as unauthorised absence. They have made withdrawal of the notices and disciplinary proceedings a key condition for talks.

Standoff over DA arrears continues

The latest confrontation follows a statewide strike on August 27, in which unions claimed more than three lakh government employees participated. Talks between Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and employee representatives could not take place after the government insisted that the strike be called off before negotiations.

The government has maintained that the DA arrears issue is pending before the Supreme Court and cited its financial position in opposing immediate payment. Punjab has challenged a Punjab and Haryana High Court order directing it to clear around Rs 14,191 crore in pending DA and dearness relief arrears to employees and pensioners within 15 days.

The government had also raised DA from 42 per cent to 60 per cent on September 4 for around 85,000 employees recruited after July 17, 2020, whose salaries follow the Central government's 7th Pay Commission pattern. Employees recruited before that date remain outside the scope of the increase and continue to seek payment of pending instalments and arrears.

Protests continue across districts

Industry Minister Aman Arora had on Monday termed the proposed agitation “illegal” and warned of action if public services were disrupted. Employees, however, proceeded with the strike.

Protests were reported across districts, with employees raising slogans against the government and demanding action on their pending claims.

In Hoshiarpur, employees' union district president Anirudh Modgil alleged that the government had withheld 18 per cent DA, Assured Career Progression benefits and other allowances. He said employees would begin 'gheraoing' Punjab ministers from September 12 as part of their next phase of protest.

In Ferozepur, employees staged a demonstration at the District Administrative Complex. Punjab State Ministerial Services Union district president Pippal Singh said the government had repeatedly assured employees that their demands would be addressed, but no concrete action had followed.

“The government had promised restoration of the old pension scheme in its election manifesto. Though a notification was issued, the complete procedure and necessary conditions for its implementation had not yet been clarified,” alleged Pippal Singh.

The strike has also affected citizens visiting government offices, with people travelling from distant villages reportedly returning without completing their work.