West Bengal Government Employees stage a protest demanding a hike in Dearness allowance (DA).
| Photo Credit: ANI
Demonstrators picketed earlier than the gates of State Government workplaces and academic establishments demanding hike in Dearness Allowance (DA) because the day-long strike known as by some organisations of West Bengal Government employees started on March 10.
Demonstrators squatted in entrance of the gates of State Government workplaces like Writers Building, Bikash Bhavan, Khadya Bhavan, Swastha Bhavan, and Kolkata Municipal Corporation.
Similar scenes had been witnessed in district headquarters city, block growth workplaces and municipalities and panchayats because the variety of attendees was fewer than on different days.
A protestor, belonging to the CPI(M)‘s employees wing, said outside the Kolkata Municipal Corporation building here that “instead of issuing one notice after another this government should work towards hiking the DA of State employees and bring it on par with other states and Centre.”
Official sources, however, said work was not affected and employees attended office.
In Medinipur College, Paschim Medinipur, North Bengal University, Siliguri and Siksha Bhavan, the agitators, belonging to DSO and BJP respectively, raised slogans at the main gate and forcibly tried to stop the students and employees from entering office at around 10 am.
This led to altercation and exchange of fisticuffs between the supporters of ruling party and the agitators. All major opposition parties ¬ CPIM, Congress and BJP ¬ are supporting the strike called by State Government employees while the TMC has accused the Opposition of disrupting work culture, despite the State’s monetary crisi.
The Mamata Banerjee administration has already mentioned no go away can be allowed on March 10 and the absence shall be handled as a break in service.
According to an order issued by the State Finance Department on March 10, 2023, all State Government workplaces together with these supplied with grants-in-aid by the State resembling instructional establishments shall stay open on March 10 and all employees will report for obligation on that day.
“No casual leave or any other kind of leave for absence either in the first half of the day or in the second half or for the whole day shall be granted to any employee on March 10,” the order mentioned.
“Absence of employees on that day will be treated as dies-non (break in service) and no salary will be admissible unless such absence is covered by hospitalisation of the employees or if there is bereavement in the family, severe illness and absence continuing prior to March 9,” it mentioned.
No motion in opposition to employees who’re on medical go away
However, no motion shall be taken in opposition to employees who had been on youngster care go away, maternity go away, medical go away and earned go away sanctioned earlier than March 9, in accordance with the order.
The protesting employees of 18 organisations, who’ve been demanding that DA be raised to the extent of what their counterparts within the Central Government get, caught to the choice of holding the strike.
“Whatever step the government takes, we will observe the strike,” mentioned one of many leaders of the agitating organisation.
They just lately held a 48-hour pen-down agitation on this concern, ignoring warnings of motion, whereas a number of employees are on a starvation strike close to Sahid Minar which continued until March 10.
West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose expressed hope that every one these concerned within the matter would discover a appropriate answer.
