Chandigarh: Punjab govt employees on Thursday announced a month-long statewide agitation from Nov 13, rejecting CM Bhagwant Mann’s announcement of a 3% increase in dearness allowance (DA) as a “Diwali gift” by claiming that the hike was merely the release of withheld DA.The protest will include a sit-in in Sangrur — the home district of CM Mann — till Nov 19, burning of effigies of AAP MLAs from Dec 1 to 5, and a human chain from the Shambhu border to the Attari border near Amritsar on Dec 13. The ashes of the effigies will be immersed in the Budha Nullah in Ludhiana.A maha panchayat involving representatives of different sections of society will also be organised to highlight the alleged “anti-people” policies of the govt.The employees also said they would appeal to the public to vote against the AAP in the 2027 assembly elections.The announcement came a day after Mann announced a 3% hike in DA, taking the total DA to 53%. Earlier, the state govt had announced an eight-percentage-point DA hike in September, comprising two instalments of 4% each.The Sanjha Mulazam Manch and the Joint Coordination Committee of Employees and Pensioners accused the Punjab govt of spreading misinformation by claiming that state govt employees were drawing higher salaries than their counterparts in other states.Sukhchain Singh Khaira, JAC coordinator, alleged that while govt employees were being deprived of pension benefits, the pensions of Punjab MLAs had been increased more than fivefold. He alleged that while 37 allowances for govt employees had been withdrawn, legislators continued to receive various allowances under the Vidhan Sabha Manual.Addressing a press conference, leaders of the organisations alleged that employees in Punjab were facing discrimination in pay scales, allowances, pension benefits and service conditions. The employees’ leaders played old videos of Mann and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal to highlight that the AAP govt’s 2022 announcement to implement the old pension scheme (OPS) remained unfulfilled.On the issue of DA, the employees claimed that IAS, IPS and IFS officers serving in Punjab were receiving DA at central govt rates, while state govt employees and pensioners were receiving lower rates.Alleging a delay in releasing the second report of the Pay Commission, the employees said only six months of the present govt’s tenure remained, but the report had still not been presented. They alleged that the delay was also depriving employees of benefits under the Assured Career Progression (ACP) Scheme.The employees also criticised the AAP govt’s claim that 51% of the state’s revenue receipts were spent on the salaries and pensions of employees and pensioners. “The govt should clarify how much of this is accounted for by the salaries and allowances drawn by ministers, MLAs and officers,” they said.The leaders said employees recruited after July 17, 2020, were being paid lower salaries under pay scales based on the central pattern, without receiving the higher allowances applicable to Central govt employees. They further pointed out that under a notification issued on Jan 15, 2015, newly recruited employees were paid only basic pay during their three-year probation period, resulting in substantially lower earnings compared with employees in other states. The organisations also presented slides containing comparative salary details.Representatives of retired govt employees said pensioners were also facing “injustice”, as their pensions had not been revised using the 2.59 multiplication factor recommended by the Pay Commission. The organisations demanded the regularisation of contractual and outsourced employees, the immediate fulfilment of the demands of anganwadi workers, midday meal workers and ASHA workers, and the reinstatement of 253 dismissed computer teachers.
