Ludhiana: Govt employees across Punjab, including schoolteachers, Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) staff, midday meal workers and personnel from several other departments, will proceed on a two-day mass leave on Oct 21 and 22, threatening to disrupt services and intensify pressure on the state govt over a host of pending demands.Employee unions said the action was being taken after repeated protests, rallies and meetings failed to elicit a satisfactory response from the govt.Vikramdev, state president of the Democratic Teachers Front (DTF), said teachers, midday meal workers and other govt employees had been waiting for years for the fulfilment of key promises.“Our demands have remained pending despite repeated assurances. Employees from various sectors will participate in the mass leave to register their protest,” he said.The agitation has also found support among PSPCL employees. Gurpreet Singh Mehdoodan, state secretary of the PSEB Employees Federation (AITUC), said the protest had evolved into a broader employees’ movement cutting across departments.“The issues may differ slightly from department to department, but the core demands are common. If the government does not act, the agitation will be intensified in the coming days,” he said.Officials in the education department acknowledged that many teachers are expected to participate, though efforts have been made to ensure that students’ academic activities are affected as little as possible.The mass leave is expected to bring together employees from multiple departments under a common platform, with unions demanding immediate action on pension, pay and regularisation-related issues.Key demandsRestoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS)Sixth Pay Commission benefits for all employeesIncrease in wages of mid-day meal workersRegularisation of eligible teachers and other employees
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