DA hike demand: Delegation of govt employees meets Governor

Meanwhile, the West Bengal government is preparing to send show-cause notices to those government employees who participated in the state-wide strike called by the Joint Forum of State Government Employees on Friday and didn’t report to work. The forum, which had called the strike in government offices, schools and colleges with the support of the CPIM-led Left Front, claimed the strike was “successful”. Members of the BJP-dominated employees’ council and Congress-dominated Confederation of State Government Employees also supported the strike. Other than administrative headquarters at Nabanna, more than 50 per cent employees skipped duty and supported the strike.

On Thursday, the West Bengal Finance Department had issued a circular stating that no leaves would be granted to state government employees on Friday. The notification, however, will not be applicable “in case of hospitalisation, a death in family, severe illness or absence continuing before March 9 or to those already on childcare, maternity and medical leave or those with prior sanctioned earned leaves”.

According to officials, the department had said that if any employee, except those in the exempted categories, remained absent from duty on Friday, they will be served a showcause and would be asked to for an explanation as to why no disciplinary action should be taken against them for their “unauthorised absence”. In case the department doesn’t find the explanation satisfactory, their absence will be treated as breach of service and no salary will be admissible for that day, the circular stated.

A senior government official said, “According to the circular, the government can showcause the concerned employees and ask why they were absent. If the answer is not satisfactory, the government can take necessary steps against that employee and that process started from Saturday.”