Haryana roadways employees’ unions have announced to hold 24 hours hunger strike from December 13 to 14 against the State Government’s decision to terminate services of at least 365 bus drivers.

After holding a meeting at Rohtak, the Haryana Roadways Joint Action Committee announced to hold the 24 hours hunger strike at all depots.

The roadways unions also announced to carry out a campaign from December 7 to 12 in those villages, where the service of night halt of buses has been suspended by the state roadways.

“The Transport Department had recently decided to discontinue night halt of buses at rural areas. People living in rural areas have been hit by this decision. We have decided to visit villages affected due to the decision and take a resolution from respective gram panchayat against the government’s decision. Such visits will be held from December 7 t o12,” said Sarbat Punia, general secretary, Haryana Roadways Workers Union.

Punia said that a 24 hours hunger strike starting December 13 will also be held at all depots across Haryana.

Besides, we have decided to convene a state level convention in Karnal, the constituency of Chief Minister Manohar Lal. All trade unions, panchayats and other employees organizations will be invited for this convention against the anti-employee policies of the present government, he said.

We will decide the next course of action at this convention, he added.

Earlier, the roadways employees had on Monday held protest for two hours at all bus depots across Haryana.

Criticizing the State Government, Punia said that the government had earlier decided to hire 700 private buses. Then it discontinued the overtime of employees and also night halt of buses at rural areas. Now, it has terminated the services of 365 temporary drivers recruited in 2016. All these decisions are anti-employee.”

We demand withdrawal of decision of doing away with the services of 365 drivers across the state, he added.

Notably, the roadways employees’ unions and Haryana Government have been at loggerheads since the past few months over various issues.

The roadways employees had also protested against the State Government’s decision to hire 700 private buses in Haryana. Their longest ever strike against the decision had came to an end on its 18th day on November 2, after the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s intervention.