Two-day pen-down by employees demanding DA hike will invite action: Bengal govt | Kolkata - Hindustan Times
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Two-day pen-down by employees demanding DA hike will invite action: Bengal govt

Feb 19, 2023 07:35 PM IST

Various organisations of Bengal government employees have announced a two-day pen-down on Monday and Tuesday

The West Bengal government has issued an order saying its employees will face action if they go ahead with the pen-down or cease work agitation on February 20 and 21 demanding dearness allowance (DA) at par with central government employees.

West Bengal finance minister (independent charge) Chandrima Bhattacharya. (File Photo)
West Bengal finance minister (independent charge) Chandrima Bhattacharya. (File Photo)

The order was issued by finance secretary Manoj Pant on Saturday.

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A bureaucrat said on condition of anonymity that people will lose their salary and their absence will be treated as a break in service. The employees will be issued show-cause notice and will face disciplinary action for failing to furnish any satisfactory explanation, the bureaucrat added.

The employees will not be granted leave on these two days unless they are hospitalised or there is a death in the family, which are treated as emergency situations.

Various organisations of state government employees and school and college teachers have been carrying out agitations since January on this issue.

On February 15, state finance minister (independent charge) Chandrima Bhattacharya announced while presenting the 2023-24 Budget in the Assembly that the government will pay 3% additional DA to its employees, including teachers and pensioners, from March onwards.

The announcement came amid reports that the Centre may increase DA for its employees and pensioners from the existing 38 per cent to 42 per cent of the basic salary.

The employees’ organisations in Bengal said they will go ahead with the two-day cease work since their DA will be only 6% of their basic salary after the 3% hike.

Biswajit Mitra, one of the convenors of the movement, said: “Employees will sign the attendance registers on February 20 and 21 but will not work. The government cannot stop anyone from registering attendance. Those who have been on agitation or holding hunger strike for the past 22 days had officially taken leave.”

Trinamool Congress (TMC) state general secretary Kunal Ghosh said: “The Bharatiya Janata Party government at the Centre has not paid the state crores of rupees towards welfare schemes such as MNREGA leading to a financial crisis. The state government announced a DA hike despite that. The employees must consider this. Their agitation should not cause inconvenience for citizens.”

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