Cheema Sets 10-Day Regularisation Plan for PUNBUS & PRTC Contract Workers; Strike Put on Hold
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In a landmark breakthrough set to provide massive relief to thousands of public transit workers across the state, the Punjab government has established a decisive ten-day roadmap to process the regularisation of long-term contract employees of Punjab Roadways, PUNBUS, and the Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC). Chairing a marathon high-level delegation meeting in Chandigarh on Monday, October 5, 2026, Punjab Finance and Transport Minister Harpal Singh Cheema announced that all legitimate demands raised by transport employee unions will be formally resolved by October 15, 2026. Following constructive commitments from senior government officials, the PUNBUS/PRTC Contract Workers Union has formally agreed to defer their planned agitation and strike actions until the mid-October review window.
Strict 10-Day Directive: Shifting Outsourced Staff to Direct Contracts and Compiling Worker Files
The transport administration has been placed on an accelerated countdown to execute employee transition policies:
Transitioning Outsourced Staff in 10 Days: Union representatives confirmed that unambiguous instructions were issued to complete the procedural migration of outsourced manpower directly onto department contracts under the prevailing 2026 contractual framework within ten business days.
Regularisation Files for 10-15 Year Veterans: The minister directed transport authorities to compile comprehensive dossiers within ten days for all contractual workers who have completed 10 to 15 years of uninterrupted service, clearing administrative hurdles for their absorption into permanent government payrolls.
Service Seniority Credit: Directives were also issued ensuring that the past active tenures of long-serving contractual personnel are formally counted toward their official service book accounts from their original dates of appointment.
Comprehensive Digital Database: The transport directorate must finalize an exhaustive, centralized database of all contractual drivers, conductors, and workshop staff within ten days to eliminate bureaucratic delays.
Board Meeting Convened & Dismissal Reviews: 15-Day Timeline to Reinstate Eligible Staff
To tackle pending administrative disputes and board-level policy resolutions, Minister Harpal Singh Cheema instructed senior civil servants to move rapidly:
Expedited Board of Directors Meet: Additional Chief Secretary (Transport) Anurag Verma was tasked with immediately convening a formal meeting of the Board of Directors to greenlight statutory issues requiring formal board ratification without waiting for standard quarterly schedules.
15-Day Dismissal Review Window: The Transport Secretary has been directed to re-examine the case files of contract workers whose services were terminated due to past departmental inquiries or administrative actions, mandating that eligible personnel be reinstated within 15 days.
Hazardous Work Category Demand: The employee union formally submitted a charter demanding that public transport operations be classified under the hazardous duty category within the state's staffing policy, along with applying the standard three-year service eligibility criterion for future structural benefits.
October 15 Follow-Up Summit: ITI Instructors' Salary Hike Proposal Sent to Finance Department
The government's reconciliatory outreach extended beyond the roadways fleet to state-run vocational training academies:
Union Pauses Agitation: Welcoming the positive timeline, the PUNBUS/PRTC Contract Workers Union announced the immediate suspension of planned bus depot dharnas, gate rallies, and statewide work stoppages until the upcoming October 15 review meeting.
Relief for ITI Contract Instructors: In a concurrent session with representatives of government Industrial Training Institute (ITI) contract instructors, discussions centered on granting job security up to the retirement age of 58 years, ensuring parity in basic living wages, and implementing periodic pay increments.
Formal Salary Hike Clearance: Following the discussions, Director of Technical Education Munish Kumar received instructions to draft and forward a detailed formal proposal regarding instructor salary hikes directly to the Department of Finance for swift budgetary clearance.
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