Punjab CM warns employees against strike

Chandigarh, Aug 30 (IANS) In a stern warning, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday warned the staff working in the offices of the deputy commissioners and patwaris not to participate in any protest or they would face consequences of even losing their jobs.

Mann said the employees, who had threatened to sit on a pen-down strike in the coming days, could lose their jobs as there "are many unemployed people in the state whose services could be hired in place of them".

Official sources said the stringent warning by the Chief Minister comes in the wake of revenue staff currently busy in collecting field reports of damage to crop, livestock and houses in flood-hit areas and their proposed strike would hit the functioning.

It is learnt the strike call was given by the revenue employees in protest against the arrest of a patwari in a bribery case.