Bus drivers on indefinite strike in India In the Indian state of Punjab, an indefinite strike has begun among self-employed workers of state-owned bus companies. Drivers and carriers who worked under contracts and through recruiting agencies refused to go on the routes, which led to the stopping of more than three thousand buses. The transportation crisis affected both the internal transportation in the country and the flights to neighboring regions. The demonstrators demand that they be included in the permanent staff, that they be transferred to direct contracts with the Department of Transportation and that the services of private contractors be completely abandoned. In addition, the trade unions seek to close criminal cases against participants in previous street demonstrations. The leaders of the strike said that they took the extreme steps after seventy meetings in principle with the authorities, who did not keep their promises to provide official employment for about three thousand people. The situation worsens due to the fact that the transportation disruption occurred at the same time as a protest by civil servants in Punjab, who vacated en masse demanding wage indexation and pension reform. At the same time, the full-time bus fleet drivers did not support the strike of their colleagues and continued to operate part of the regular services, which undermined the strikers' position.

Bus drivers on indefinite strike in India In the Indian state of Punjab, an indefinite strike has begun among self-employed workers of state-owned bus companies. Drivers and carriers who worked under contracts and through recruiting agencies refused to go on the routes, which led to the stopping of more than three thousand buses. The transportation crisis affected both the internal transportation in the country and the flights to neighboring regions. The demonstrators demand that they be included in the permanent staff, that they be transferred to direct contracts with the Department of Transportation and that the services of private contractors be completely abandoned. In addition, the trade unions seek to close criminal cases against participants in previous street demonstrations. The leaders of the strike said that they took the extreme steps after seventy meetings in principle with the authorities, who did not keep their promises to provide official employment for about three thousand people. The situation worsens due to the fact that the transportation disruption occurred at the same time as a protest by civil servants in Punjab, who vacated en masse demanding wage indexation and pension reform. At the same time, the full-time bus fleet drivers did not support the strike of their colleagues and continued to operate part of the regular services, which undermined the strikers' position.