Talks to appease protesting clerks of Haryana broke down on Wednesday, with the state government a day later [Thursday] deciding to implement “no work-no pay” principle in order to break the deadlock. For the first time in decades, around 15,000 clerks of Haryana have gone on a strike in the state paralysing the functioning of government offices and leaving most seniors officers without the vital help that they need in ensuring effective governance. The clerks, who went on strike from July 5, have one demand — basic pay equivalent to similar rank posts in the government departments. The clerks have been demanding an increase in their basic pay from current Rs 19,900 to a minimum of Rs 35,400 monthly. In an attempt to resolve the ongoing standoff, the government has already held two meetings with the protesters. Haryana CM's Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Jawahar Yadav, earlier had told The Indian Express, “We cannot give a basic pay of Rs 35,400 per month at the moment. But we are hopeful that the issue will be resolved soon. To ensure smooth functioning of tehsils, we are considering giving more powers to tehsildars so that the work of land registration is not hampered due to ongoing agitation.”
