Employees’ strike cripples Govt services in Maha

Various services of the Maharashtra Government, particularly hospitals and schools, were crippled on Tuesday as nearly 17 lakh Government employees went on a three-day strike from Tuesday to press for the implementation of the 7th Pay Commission report and settlement of various other demands.

“The strike was cent per cent successful today. All Government offices across the State remained closed. The employees in Government hospitals and teaching and non-teaching staff members in primary and middle schools struck work,” Maharashtra State Employees Organisation (MSEO) president Vishwas Katkar said here in the evening.

The three-day strike has been called by MSEO and the Maharashtra State Class Four Employees Association.  The officers owing allegiance to the Maharashtra State Gazetted Officers’ Federation, who were to have join the strike,withdrewtheir plans after the Maharashtra Government assured them that it would look into their demands.   

At Mantralaya( state secretariat), only five per cent of employees reported to work. Following the strike, the work in various district collectorates, tehisildar offices, Zilla  Parishads, hospitals and schools were badly affected.

The striking employees are in no mood to accept the assurance given by the chief minister Devendra Fadnavis that the 7th pay commission recommendations would  be implemented from January 2019. They are demanding immediate implementation of the 7th pay commission report.

“The Maharashtra government has made a provision of Rs 10,000 crore for the implementation of the 7th Pay commission recommendations in its annual budget.  That being the case, we would like to know  as to why the state government is delaying the hiked salaries and other benefits as recommended under the 7th pay commission report,” Katkar asked.