‘Enough is enough’: Miffed with AAP, govt employees in Punjab declare 2026 ‘year of protest’

Punjab clerical employees staged Lohri protests against the AAP government over non-payment of five pending DA instalments, declaring 2026 as a year of protest and non-cooperation. (Express Photo)

Anger against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government spilt onto the corridors of the Punjab Civil Secretariat and government offices across the state on Tuesday as clerical cadre employees launched a symbolic but forceful protest on the occasion of Lohri, accusing the government of betraying its promises and sitting over long-pending dearness allowance (DA) dues.

The Punjab State Ministerial Service Union, Punjab, along with the Civil Secretariat Ministerial Union, Chandigarh, formally announced their disillusionment with the present government, declaring the year 2026 as a “non-cooperation year” and a “year of protest” until employees’ demands are fulfilled.

At the heart of the agitation is the non-payment of five pending DA instalments, amounting to 16 per cent of the basic salary, which employees say have accumulated since mid-2023. With the Centre expected to announce the sixth DA instalment later this month, the gap is set to widen further.

Clerical cadre employees at the Civil Secretariat, Chandigarh, staged a massive protest by raising slogans inside the corridors, while employees across Punjab marked Lohri in a unique protest style.

“We threw broken pieces of firewood into the Lohri fire as a mark of protest. We are fed up with this government and its fake assurances,” said Gurnam Singh Virk, state president of the Punjab State Ministerial Service Union.

“We are no longer going to seek meetings or beg for implementation of our demands. The government is fully aware of what we want. Enough is enough now. Year 2026 will be a non-cooperation year with the ruling government.”

Virk pointed out that the last DA hike of 4 per cent was paid in December 2023 and that too after nearly 50 days of strike, which itself was due from January 2023. “DA is announced twice a year by the Centre, and states are bound to implement it for their employees. One instalment of 2023 and two each of 2024 and 2025 are still pending,” he said.

Employees also alleged discrimination, claiming that IAS and IPS officers posted in Punjab are receiving DA instalments regularly from the state treasury, while over 3.5 lakh government employees across departments continue to wait for their dues.

“As of now, nearly 55,000 clerical cadre employees have united for this struggle. In total, more than 3.5 lakh employees from various departments are affected,” Virk said, adding that over four lakh pensioners—retired government employees—have also not been paid pending DA.

Taking a political turn, Pippal Singh Sidhu, Punjab General Secretary of the union, announced a statewide action plan. “The year 2026 will be observed as a year of protest. No meetings with the government will be sought until our demands are met,” he said.

Sidhu added that under the next phase of agitation, district units would submit warning letters along with memorandums of demands to MLAs in all Assembly constituencies. “If MLAs fail to raise employees’ issues, they will face strong resistance during the upcoming elections,” he warned.

The state committee will also issue warning letters to state presidents of all political parties. The date and time of this action programme will be announced on January 17, 2026.

Sidhu further announced that March 9, 2026, will be observed as a struggle remembrance day, to be marked by a large convention. The venue will be announced shortly. The union has also decided to release a special protest calendar for 2026, highlighting government failures and key employee demands.

Employees from education, irrigation, water supply and sewerage, health and other departments are expected to join a joint agitation in the coming months, signalling a widening confrontation between the Punjab government and its workforce.