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Business News/ News / India/  West Bengal govt says no leaves on 20-21 Feb as staff call for 2-day cease-work
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West Bengal govt says no leaves on 20-21 Feb as staff call for 2-day cease-work

The 'Sangrami Joutho Mancha' comprising 18 state government employees associations had called for the cease work and vowed not to deviate from the path of agitation till the DA is hiked adequately and the gap between the central and state DA is bridged.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee (PTI Photo)Premium
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee (PTI Photo)

As platform of state government employees called for a two-day cease work on 20-21 February in protest against the "meagre" hike in their dearness allowance (DA), the West Bengal government has now said that no employee will be granted casual or any other leave for the 48 hour strike.

The 'Sangrami Joutho Mancha' comprising 18 state government employees associations on February 16 called for the cease work and vowed not to deviate from the path of agitation till the DA is hiked adequately and the gap between the central and state DA is bridged.

As per the government notification, "It has been decided that no casual leave for absence either in the first half of the day or in the second half or for the whole day nor any other leave shall be granted to any employee on these dates. The employees who were on leave on February 17 shall have to report for duty on February 20."

The notification said the offices will include those receiving state grants including educational institutions.

The notice made exceptions to cases of hospitalisation of employees, bereavement in family, "severe illness and absence continuing prior to February 17 and employees on child care leave, maternity leave, medical leave and earned leave sanctioned prior to February 17, 2023."

If an employee fails to attend office on either of these two days, and his leave application on above mentioned grounds is not approved, he or she will be show-caused and disciplinary action issued against the person, the notice signed by Additional Chief Secretary Manoj Pant said.

Finance Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya while presenting the budget on February 15 announced an additional three per cent of DA for government employees and others, who were demanding the same at par with the Centre.

The platform of agitating state government employees stated that while central government employees get DA at 38 per cent of their basic salary, their state counterparts after a three per cent hike will get DA at six per cent of their basic salary.

A spokesperson of 'Sangrami Joutho Manch' while speaking to reporters had said, "We are holding the sit-in near Sahid Minar for 21 days on the DA issue, but this government is ignoring the legitimate demand of the state employees. We want to be paid the same amount of DA as the central government employees and not peanuts."

TMC deputy chief whip in Assembly, Tapas Roy told PTI, "The state government employees should realise that the government does not harbour any revengeful attitude towards them. Our state is going through a financial crisis and once we come out of this situation they will get the full DA. The state is yet to emerge from the situation".

BJP state spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said that the party express solidarity with the state government employees.

He also alleged that the Banerjee government is indulging in unplanned expenditure and "playing to the gallery" by announcing schemes, he said, "There is no provision in the state budget regarding the DA hike."

"This government is not serious about effecting a hike in DA in a proper manner for the state government employees and bridge the disparity (with the central government employees). If BJP comes to power in the state, we will remove the disparity," he told PTI.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday said she is not a magician who can fulfil all wishes. Banerjee asserted that her government is making its best effort to balance the needs of all. “I am not a magician that money will come down from the sky on demand, as sweets did in Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne (movie). Money has to be collected," she said as reported by PTI.

The CM was referring to Satyajit Ray’s 1969 fantasy film ‘Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne’ in which sweetmeats descended from the sky. “Despite the Centre’s deprivation, we have given three per cent DA," she had said while speaking at a programme for distribution of government services in Bankura district.

Alleging that the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre is not releasing funds to West Bengal for schemes like MGNREGA, housing or road construction, Banerjee said that her government does not evict poor people, but gives them land rights.

She also claimed that the the BJP government at the Centre was depriving the TMC-ruled West Bengal. She said, "It is as if they are giving their own money. It is our money which they are taking away on account of tax collections and state governments are entitled to their share of that."

She said that the people of the state want their rights and not doles. Banerjee added that if her brothers and sisters make progress, then only Bengal will move ahead. The chief minister, who was touring the district ahead of the panchayat election, also spoke about her government's schemes for minorities, scheduled castes and tribes and OBCs. Banerjee said that 1.5 crore people work in the MSME sector in West Bengal.

(With inputs from PTI)

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Published: 19 Feb 2023, 05:47 AM IST
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