The strongly-worded statutory warning from the Bengal government notwithstanding, the Friday strike by agitating state government employees demanding DA hike left a partial impact in offices and schools. More so in the districts than, perhaps, in the city.
While state secretariat Nabanna registered a near full attendance from state employees, the turnout at the other major state government offices in Calcutta and adjacent Salt Lake was reportedly partial. The forum for agitating employees, the Sangami Joutha Mancha, however claimed that the impact of the strike was widespread in the offices, courts and schools of the districts. The forum claims it is an umbrella organization of 55 different associations of Bengal government employees.
Emboldened by the strike response in the face of the government notification which warned of serious consequences for not attending work, the forum announced that it plans to hold a demonstration at the Jantar Mantar premises in the national capital soon. Based on developments at the Supreme Court which is scheduled to hear the case on 15 March, the forum was also learnt to be planning an indefinite strike later this month.
The platform of the agitating employees at the Sahid Minar ground in central Calcutta witnessed a massive turnout of supporters on Friday expressing solidarity with the hunger strikers who have rejected the state’s offer for a six per cent additional DA calling it a ‘pittance’. The protestors claim that the DA gap with their central government counterparts currently stands at 32 per cent and that they would settle for nothing less than bridging the entire amount. Currently 11 employees are holding an indefinite fast despite several strikers falling ill during the last few weeks.
During the course of a speech made on the floor of the state Assembly House earlier this week, chief minister Mamata Banerjee made clear that she was unable to pay the additional amount at this stage for lack of money in state coffers. “I have no problem in paying the DA but I don’t have money now to give more than 6 per cent. I can meet that demand only after the Centre pays the money it owes us. If chopping off my head makes you happy, do so. But I don’t have the capacity to pay now,” she had said.
Consistent in its stand against bandhs and strikes, Nabanna had issued a stern warning to employees who would be participating in the strike. The memorandum stated that employees, who would remain absent from work on 10 March, would be issued show cause notice and failing to provide a satisfactory response would attract disciplinary action. The notice further warned the strikers of a break-in-service and a corresponding deduction in salary in the event of not attending work.
“The notice is bad in law. There is no law to stop state employees from getting involved in peaceful protests and strikes in support of a valid demand. We will challenge the memo in court if the government tries to implement what it has stated in that memo,” said Sabyasachi Chatterjee, a Calcutta High Court advocate and a supporter of the strike.
The protestors, however, alleged that many employees were arrested and manhandled by the police in various parts of the state when they were trying to hold demonstrations before their respective offices. “Many teachers who stayed away from classrooms today in support of the strike were threatened by local Trinamul leaders with dire consequences. The ruling dispensation, along with the state police, tried every trick in the book to thwart the strike. But they remained unsuccessful before our resolve,” said an agitating teacher at the Sahid Minar ground.
