Harpal Singh Cheema Says Sanitation Workers End Strike After Punjab Govt Talks
Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema announced that sanitation workers across Punjab have withdrawn their strike after successful talks with the state government. The Punjab Government will also form a committee to address pending demands within one month.
CHANDIGARH, 21 May 2026: Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Thursday announced that sanitation workers across various Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), municipal councils, municipal committees and nagar panchayats in Punjab have decided to withdraw their ongoing strike after successful talks with the Punjab Government.
Addressing the media after a meeting with representatives of sanitation workers’ unions, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema stated, “A five member delegation from the workers’ 35 member committee held detailed discussions with Cabinet Minister Harjot Singh Bains, senior government officials and me regarding the workers’ demands.”
He shared, “Several demands were resolved during the discussions, while some issues linked to legal and election code related matters require further procedural consideration. The government and union representatives had mutually agreed to form a committee that would examine all pending demands and work towards a permanent and practical solution.”
The minister said, “The government has fixed a one month timeline to sympathetically consider and resolve the remaining issues. After detailed discussions over the last two to three days, all unions agreed to give the government time to address their concerns in a serious and structured manner.”
Responding to media queries regarding Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu calling Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann an “ISI agent,” Harpal Singh Cheema strongly condemned the statement and termed it an insult to the people of Punjab and their mandate.
