Punjab’s government has ordered a “no work, no pay” rule for striking employees, deducting salaries for every day of absence as a pen-down agitation over pending dearness allowance dues stretched into a wider standoff. The Bhagwant Mann administration hardened its position on 8 September, days after employee unions extended their strike to 11 September.
The core dispute is money the workforce says it’s owed. Employees recruited before 17 July 2020 argue that several DA instalments and other allowances remain unpaid, and they want those arrears cleared rather than fresh increases announced only for newer recruits. Unions have also demanded that the government withdraw show-cause notices and disciplinary action tied to an earlier state-wide agitation on 27 August, which reportedly drew more than three lakh government employees.
That August protest is now a sticking point in its own right. The government treated the mass casual leave taken that day as unauthorised absence and issued notices to the staff involved. Unions say those notices have to go before any meaningful talks can start. Negotiations between employee representatives and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann didn’t happen on 27 August because the government wanted the strike called off first.
On the arrears, the state has pointed to its finances and to ongoing litigation. It has challenged a Punjab and Haryana High Court order directing it to pay around ₹14,191 crore in DA and dearness relief arrears, and says the matter is currently before the Supreme Court.
The latest strike has hit government offices across Punjab, including the Civil and Mini Secretariats in Chandigarh and district administrative offices. Essential services such as buses, schools, and healthcare have continued to run.
The government has warned against any disruption of public services alongside the pay-deduction order. Reports indicate schools, health services, and transport largely stayed operational on 8 September even as ministerial staff observed the pen-down strike and mass casual leave across districts.
Employees say repeated assurances haven’t turned into concrete payments. Unions have warned of further escalation, including a plan to gherao state ministers from 12 September if their demands stay unresolved. The direction of talks over the coming days will decide whether the standoff cools or widens.
