ON THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2026, government employees in Punjab called for a ‘Maha Hartal’ ( strike) to protest against the growing concerns over pending Dearness Allowance (DA) and the pensioning system across the state. These issues have been bothering government employees in the state for a long time, leading them to stage a state-wide strike on Thursday. However, things took a different turn, with the protests in Jalandhar turning into a standoff between the police and the government employees following Bhagwant Mann’s cancellation of the scheduled talks that day. In a post on X, Bhagwant Mann stated that the employees should call off their strike for the scheduled meeting to begin, as the strike and talks could not continue simultaneously.
This sudden announcement enraged the protesting employees, and a standoff ensued in Jalandhar—where the scheduled meeting was supposed to be held. The protesters had gathered in the Deputy Commissioner’s (DC) complex in Jalandhar, and began the sloganeering as soon as Bhagwant Mann’s tweet went live. The police called in their anti-riot vehicles and began stopping the protesters from leaving the DC office complex, which turned the situation into a standoff between the two sides.
With the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections drawing close, the AAP government is facing serious anti-incumbency with approximately seven lakh government employees hitting the streets over the unresolved issues of pensions, pay scales and pending DA. They are also flagging the state’s financial impediments as the total outstanding debt stands at Rs 4.47 lakh crore.
Across the state, employees’ and pensioners’ unions called for a ‘Maha Hartal’ (strike) on August 27, 2026. They planned to organize workplace shutdowns and roadside dharnas (demonstrations) alongside the participation of the farmer organizations across Punjab. The decision for the protest was taken at a collaborative meeting of various employee and pensioner organizations across the state, which are affiliated with the Punjab Employees and Pensioners Joint Front and the Punjab Joint Employees Platform. The protest call was also supported by the Punjab Civil Services (Executive) Retired Association.
The protesting organizations in Punjab have a set of key demands, which range from the immediate release of all pending 18% DA installments, implementation of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), withdrawal of the three-year probation period imposed on newly recruited employees and also the implementation of the decisions passed by the Double Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court in favour of the employees.
Following suit, over 150 employees under the banner of Punjab Sanjha Mulazam Mancha have also joined the ‘Maha Hartal’ to pressurize the state government into accepting their demands.
The call for the strike was widely resonated among the government employees across Punjab. Approximately seven lakh government employees were reported to have joined the strike. The Outpatient Department (OPD) services also turned bleak on Thursday, August 27, 2026, with the Punjab Civil Medical Services Association (PCMSA) supporting the statewide protest. OPD services and elective surgeries were suspended at community health centres (CHCs), urban community health centres (UCHCs), ESI dispensaries, sub-divisional hospitals, and district hospitals across Punjab.
However, the emergency services, intensive care units (ICUs), emergency surgeries, post-mortem work and judicial medical examinations continued—ensuring no undue harm was caused while staging their protest.
Speaking to Times of India, PCMSA president Dr Akhil Sarin said that the association was hopeful that the government would address the long-pending demands surrounding the employees in Punjab.
Government schoolteachers also held protests at the district education offices across the state. Similar participation was also witnessed among employees, who staged their demonstrations outside the DC and tehsil (village administration) offices in Bathinda, Barnala, Mansa, Moga, Muktsar and Faridkot.
Amid the strike, a meeting between the representatives of the government employees and CM Mann was scheduled to raise these issues. A 16-member representative committee of employees was set up for this purpose, who had gone to meet the Chief Minister at the Punjab Armed Police office in Jalandhar. However, things took a turn when Bhagwant Mann posted on X informing that he would only meet the employees when they ceased their strike. In the post he mentioned that, while the government is bound to address all the issues of the protesting employees, talks will only take place after the employees end their protest.
See Also: Aam Aadmi Party’s Duality: Cry Media Censorship in Delhi and Suppress Press Freedom in Punjab
This enraged the union leaders who immediately showcased their avid disapproval. They decided to take their protest onto the streets and began leaving the DC office complex. The police responded and a standoff ensued between the two sides. The Punjab Police tried to stop the protesters by parking police buses and anti-riot vehicles. Manjeet Singh and Alka Chopra—representatives of the employees’ union in Punjab civil secretariat—said, “We are planning to go on a strike for an indefinite period if the government does not initiate talks and settle the grievances,” reported The New Indian Express.
As the 2027 Assembly Elections have drawn close, opposition parties have also ensured that their darts hit the target. Leader of the Opposition and Senior Congress leader—Partap Singh Bajwa—took to X, and slammed the AAP government over the strike and its inability to resolve the issues of the employees. The BJP, too, has tried to weigh in, and declared a ‘Maha Strike’ strike in support of the employees’ protest on the same day.
As of now, the talks have not yet been held between the two sides. According to The Savera Times, the Punjab government has reportedly listed the names of 2,500 government employees who participated in the strike on August 27, and were absent from work. The government officials have informed that these employees were absent from work without a valid reason or prior intimation on August 27, 2026.
Suggested Reading:
Subscribe to our channels on YouTube and WhatsApp
Download our app on Play Store