The Bengal administration has started showcausing its employees who did not report for duty on March 10, the day on which several unions of government staff called a strike for dearness allowance (DA) parity with their central counterparts.

“Various department heads have started issuing letters asking the employees to show reasons why they did not report for duty on Friday. The letters also mentioned that if the employees couldn’t justify their absence, stern measures would be initiated against them,” said a senior government official.

So far, such letters were issued to employees of the departments of food and supplies, backward classes welfare and the land and land reforms on Tuesday.

Employees of all other departments who remained absent on Friday are likely to get the letters by Wednesday, sources said.

The state government had cancelled all kinds of leave on the strike day by issuing a notification. The government had made it clear that in some special cases like a bereavement in the family or hospitalisation, an employee’s leave will be considered.

“All those who willfully remained absent from offices on Friday will face action. Most probably, they will face a day’s salary cut and deduction of one day from their service life,” said a source.

Even though the government initiated measures to take action against the absentees, chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday reiterated her stance that the administration could not match the DA of its employees with the central staff as the salary structure of the two sets of employees was different.

“The salary structure of the teachers of the central school and the state-aided schools are different. So, the salary of a state-aided schoolteacher cannot match the salary of a central school,” said the chief minister while addressing a programme in Calcutta on Tuesday.

The chief minister also reminded the state government employees that her government had tried its best to give the best possible facilities to the employees despite its limitations.