Punjab Bus Services Crippled as 8,000 Contractual Workers Strike Over Demands

• Over 8,000 contractual employees of Punjab Roadways, Punbus, and PRTC went on strike, disrupting bus services across Punjab.
• Workers are protesting the detention of union members from a November agitation and opposing the privatization of bus services through the “kilometer scheme”.
• A meeting between union representatives and the state transport secretary in Chandigarh failed to reach a resolution.
• Protesters demand regularization of contractual staff, equal pay for equal work, an end to the contract system, and reinstatement of dismissed workers.
• The strike caused significant hardship for commuters, with buses remaining at depots and passengers forced to use private transport.