Lakhs of Punjab Government employees have gone on mass casual leave on Wednesday and Thursday to protest against the state government’s failure to address their pending demands, with the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of employees’ unions announcing demonstrations across the state.Also read: Punjab Government employees to go on mass leave on Oct 21, 22Work in government offices is likely to be disrupted during the two-day agitation, with employees staying away from duty. Public transport services may also be affected, as some transport unions have extended support to the JAC.Two major protest rallies are planned in Chandigarh and adjoining Mohali. Employees will assemble outside the Punjab Civil Secretariat in Chandigarh and at the grounds near PUDA Bhawan in Mohali. In the districts, employees have been asked to stage demonstrations outside Deputy Commissioners’ offices.Sukhchain Khera, convenor of the Sanjha Mullazam Manch, told The Tribune that the unions had received feelers from the government for a meeting with the Chief Secretary but had declined the offer.“Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had promised to hold a meeting with all union leaders. But the follow-up meeting never took place and our demands have not been met,” he said.Tejinder Singh of the DC Office Union said employees in the districts would hold protests outside Deputy Commissioners’ offices from 10 am on Wednesday. Employees had been urged to participate in the demonstrations in large numbers.The two-day agitation follows several rounds of protests over pending service-related and financial demands. The unions have been seeking the release of 18 per cent in pending dearness allowance (DA) arrears, restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), resolution of pay anomalies and withdrawal of orders affecting their pay and service conditions.Their demands also include implementation of the 2.59 multiplication factor, restoration of Assured Career Progression (ACP) benefits, regularisation of contractual and outsourced employees, and withdrawal of the January 15, 2015, order under which employees recruited during probation were paid only basic pay, without the usual allowances.The unions have also sought withdrawal of the July 17, 2020, order that placed certain employees recruited after the date on lower Central pay scales, besides resolution of anomalies arising from the revised pay structure.The agitation has continued despite a meeting between the Chief Minister and employee representatives in September. The government had given assurances on issues concerning the employees, following which the earlier pen-down agitation was called off. However, the decision triggered dissent among union members, who felt that the government had not accepted any of their substantive demands.The unions subsequently continued with their agitation programme, announcing the October 21 and 22 mass casual leave protest after setting a deadline for the government to address their demands.