Punjab Govt Employees’ Strike on Aug 27: Offices, Sewa Kendras, buses & other services likely to be affected; Watch Video
Statewide mass casual leave called by employee and pensioner organisations; protests planned outside DC offices while roads to remain open
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, August 26, 2026: Government services across Punjab are likely to be affected on Thursday, August 27, as employee and pensioner organisations have called a statewide strike and mass casual leave to press the state government over their long-pending demands.
The agitation is not a general Punjab bandh. Roads and traffic routes will remain open, and there will be no statewide road blockade. However, the mass absence of government employees is expected to disrupt work at several government offices and public-facing services, including Sewa Kendras and government bus services.
The protest has been called by organisations associated with the Sanjha Mulazman Manch, Punjab Employees and Pensioners Joint Front and Punjab Joint Employees Platform. Employees have been urged to observe mass casual leave and participate in protests at district headquarters.
The major demands include the release of pending Dearness Allowance (DA) instalments along with arrears, implementation of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), and regularisation of contractual employees.
Watch VIdeo
Government Offices, Services Likely to Be Affected
According to employee representatives, staff in several key government departments will participate in the strike. These include Deputy Commissioner offices, tehsil and SDM offices, Sewa Kendras, water and sanitation departments, irrigation offices, Municipal Corporations, PSPCL, Punjab Pollution Control Board, PUNBUS and Punjab Roadways, among others.
The mass leave is expected to affect routine functioning at government offices, and employees have appealed to the public to avoid visiting offices on August 27 unless necessary.
Sukhchain Khehra, coordinator of the Sanjha Mulazman Manch, said employees would stage protests outside Deputy Commissioner offices across the state.
He clarified that the agitation would not involve a general road blockade and that roads and traffic routes would remain open. However, government bus services are expected to remain suspended as part of the strike.
Employees to Hold Talks with CM Mann
Despite the planned agitation, dialogue with the Punjab Government is continuing. A meeting with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is scheduled in Jalandhar, and employee representatives said they would take a further decision depending on the outcome of the discussions.
Amit Arora, Additional General Secretary of the Punjab State Ministerial Services Union, said the unions were not seeking to inconvenience the general public and that their protest was directed at the government departments concerned.
He said the unions hoped the proposed meeting with the Chief Minister would help address their demands, while acknowledging that government functioning would be significantly affected during the strike.
DA Arrears, Old Pension Scheme Among Key Demands
The employees and pensioners have been pressing the government for payment of pending DA instalments and arrears, along with implementation of the Old Pension Scheme and regularisation of contractual employees.
The protesting employees have also decided not to undertake certain duties assigned to them as part of their wider expression of dissatisfaction with what they describe as delays in resolving their long-pending demands.
With a large number of government employees expected to remain on mass casual leave, citizen-facing government services across Punjab could witness disruption on August 27.