State Finance Minister Meets Unions Ahead of Punjab Employees’ One-Day Strike

A day before the massive one‑day strike, Punjab’s finance minister, Harpal Singh Cheema, held talks with representatives of several employee unions in Chandigarh.

During the meeting, the minister reiterated the government’s willingness to address the core concerns of staff, particularly the outstanding inflation allowance (DA) that unions claim amounts to ₹20,161 crore. He highlighted that a portion of the dues, ₹6,000 crore, dates back to 2021, while the remaining ₹14,161 crore is from earlier periods.

The minister assured that the administration is already taking steps to resolve the major demands and instructed the transport, education, animal husbandry and finance departments to consider the unions’ proposals with empathy and expedite necessary actions.

Despite these assurances, employees proceeded with the strike, indicating that the dialogue did not satisfy their expectations. The finance minister’s engagement was aimed at preventing a larger disruption, but the subsequent shutdown affected government hospitals, dispensaries and schools throughout the state.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is expected to meet union leaders at the Punjab Armed Police complex in Jalandhar later in the day, underscoring the political importance of the issue.