Bengal Government Employees To Go On Strike For Dearness Allowance Hike

In the view of some organisations of West Bengal government employees calling a strike on Friday demanding a hike in Dearness Allowance (DA), the Mamata Banerjee administration said no leave will be allowed on that day and the absence will be treated as a break in service.

According to an order issued by the state finance department on Thursday, all state government offices including those provided with grants-in-aid by the state such as educational institutions shall remain open on March 10 and all employees will report for duty 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 said.

"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 said.

However, no action will be taken against employees who had been on Child Care Leave, Maternity Leave, Medical Leave and Earned Leave sanctioned before March 9, according to the order.

However, the protesting employees of 18 organisations, who have been demanding that their DA be raised to the level of what their counterparts in the central government get, stuck to the decision of holding the strike.

"Whatever step the government takes, we will observe the strike," said one of the leaders of the agitating bodies.

Earlier this week, they held a 48-hour pen-down agitation on this issue, ignoring warnings of action.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said at the assembly earlier this week that she would not be able to meet the demand for a DA hike even if the protesters "behead" her.

The government order on Thursday asked all heads of offices or controlling authorities concerned to issue show-cause notices to the employee who will remain absent on Friday.

"On receipt of satisfactory reply, leave due and admissible may be granted on production of documentary evidence on the grounds mentioned above," the order said.

Disciplinary action will be taken against those who will not be responding to the show-cause notice, the order stated.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)