Under the banner of the Maharashtra State Government Employees, they are pressing for various demands, including immediate implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission report.
Mumbai: Services related to government offices in Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra are likely to be hit till Aug 9 as around 17 lakh employees, under the banner of the Maharashtra State Government Employees, began their three-day strike on August 7, to press for various demands, including immediate implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission report. It is said that on the first day of the stir, around 63 per cent of class 3 and class 4 employees remained absent from work.
On Aug 6, the unions had announced that class 3 and class 4 employees of Zilla Parishads, state hospitals, staff working at Mantralaya (Secretariat) will participate in the strike.
The other demands include payment of dearness allowance (DA) for 14 months, five-day working week and increasing the retirement age to 60 years from the existing 58.
“However, around 1.5 lakh of the 17 lakh employees withdrew from the strike after a Government Resolution (GR) was issued on Monday night, stating that pending arrears of the DA for a period of 14 months will be paid to them. Another GR was issued stating that the Seventh Pay Commission will be implemented from January 2019,” reported The Indian Express
The demand of employees for a five-day work week and retirement age will be taken up during Diwali, an official said in the report. “The arrears will be paid with the salaries of employees for August, as per the GR. If the implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission is delayed, the employees will get the benefit as per the wage structure of the central government employees from January 2019,” it added.
“Earlier on Monday, state Government Employees Organisation President Nitin Sardeshmukh said class III and class IV employees of Zilla Parishads, state hospitals, staff working at Mantralaya (secretariat) will participate in the strike. “The employees of the Central government have been getting the benefits of the Seventh Pay Commission since 2016. Seven state governments have implemented the pay commission,” he said,” reported Firstpost.
Sardeshmukh said the employees are yet to receive the arrears accrued to them since the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission by the state government.
He said 1.85 lakh posts of class III and class IV employees are lying vacant in Maharashtra.
“Moreover, the demand for filling up 30,000 posts on compassionate grounds is also not accepted by the state government,” Sardesmukh claimed in the report. He said around 30 to 40 per cent of total posts are lying vacant in hospitals and other essential services departments.
“A General Administration Department (GAD) official said the employees working in essential services departments like hospitals, fire brigade, water supply etc. have been directed not to join the strike or else provisions of Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) will be invoked against them,” the report added.
“The arrears of Seventh Pay Commission will be given with retrospective effect from January 2016, while the Dearness Allowance will be given retrospectively for the last 14 months,” CM Devendra Fadnavis had said after holding a meeting with various employees’ unions.