Why are Punjab government employees unhappy with Bhagwant Mann's 'Diwali gift' of 3% DA?

Government employees in Punjab have refused to accept the “Diwali gift” – a 3% increase in poverty alleviation allowance announced by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann – and have announced a month-long protest that will begin on November 13 and culminate on December 13, according to a report by The Tribune.

The workers will start their protest in Sangrur from November 13 to 19 and shift the protest venue from Chandigarh.

The unions have also announced protests outside the homes of all 91 AAP MLAs in their respective constituencies from December 1 to 5. During these demonstrations they will burn effigies of the ruling party.

On December 6, the ashes of the burnt effigies will be immersed in the Buddha Nullah, Joint Coordinating Committee of Employees and Pensioners Unions Sukhchain Khaira and Gurnam Singh Virk told The Tribune.

The unions will stage another protest on December 13 by forming a human chain stretching from Shambhu to Amritsar.

Read also | Uttarakhand increases DA to state government employees by 3% to 63%.

“A happy day for almost 8 thousand employees”

The protest notice comes a day after Mann announced a hike in DA for around 8 lakh state government employees, calling it a “Diwali gift”. The increase will be effective from November 1, 2026. With this increase, the DA rate will increase from 50% to 53%.

“It is a particularly joyous day for nearly 8,000 employees and pensioners from Punjab. As a Diwali gift, they are getting an additional 3 per cent increase in State Employees’ Allowance (DA) for government employees and Retirement Assistance (DR) for pensioners,” he said.

Read also | Increase in DA for 5th, 6th CPC employees: Key figures from Finance Ministry orders

Why did Punjab Govt employees reject Bhagwant Mann’s 3% DA hike?

The employee unions disagreed with the Punjab Chief Minister and argued that the 3% hike was not enough when a substantial amount of DA was still unpaid.

The workers, who have been protesting for weeks and meeting representatives of labor organizations, said they will continue to demonstrate until their demands are met.

“It is not a Diwali gift. The government has announced the release of 3% DA from what is already due to us,” said Sukhchain Singh Khaira, coordinator of the Joint Action Committee of Government Employees and Pensioners, according to The Times of India.

What are the employee requirements?

Their demands include implementation of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), release of the remaining 10 percent of DA, payment of outstanding DA arrears, implementation of Sixth Pay Commission recommendations, restoration of old pay scales and allowances, and abolition of policies that affect the working conditions of employees.

During a media briefing, leaders of the Joint Coordination Committee sought to counter what they called misleading claims by the state government on staff issues. Before addressing each issue, they played video clips of AAP leaders, either before the party came to power or when it was in government.

Union leaders have disputed the government’s claim that Punjab employees receive the highest salaries in the country. They also disputed the state government’s repeated claims that it was dealing with pending DA installments that had not been paid by previous governments.

“Only seven per cent of DAs were pending when the Congress lost the elections. The Akali-BJP government did not leave any pending DAs,” Khera said, questioning the government’s accounting of outstanding dues.

The leaders also alleged that the state government was submitting the payment of sixth pay commission arrears as settlement of outstanding DA dues. They alleged that 10 percent of the DA was still outstanding and demanded his immediate release.

The unions further accused the government of going back on its promise to implement the old pension system.