State govt staff call off strike on Day 3

The three-day long strike of state employees,demanding parity in pay allowances with Central employees,was called off on Saturday following negotiations between employees’ leaders and senior officials of the state government.

Leaders B P Mishra and S P Tewari represented the employees while Additional Cabinet Secretary Vijay Shankar Pandey and Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Prashant Trivedi represented the government.

While assuring that sympathetic consideration will be made on the charter of demands of the employees,the government assured that punitive action like arrest and suspension will be stopped with immediate effect.

Directives have been issued to all district magistrates and heads of department to end punitive action against the employees and their leaders,said an official spokesman,adding that the government has invited the employee’s leaders for another round of talks on January 25.

The government also assured to consider the demand for action against Lucknow District Magistrate Amit Ghosh for allegedly ‘slapping’ a state employee. The demand for action will be considered after receiving the report of the inquiry being conducted by the Lucknow divisional commissioner.

The Ajay Singh and B P Mishra factions of the UP State Employees Confederation and S P Tewari faction of the UP State Employees Joint Council had given a call for protest demonstration here on January 21. Following the police lathicharge and arrest of employee’s leaders,the protest was converted into an indefinite strike.

There are two major organisations of state employees — UP State Employee’s Joint Council and UP State Employees Confederation — and the State Employees Teachers Coordination Committee is affiliated to each organisation.

MLC Om Prakash Sharma said there were several issues relating to state employees,teachers and employees of panchayats and urban local bodies,are yet to be addressed by the state government.

The employees of the PSU,work charge employees and employees of the district panchayats and urban local bodies have been denied the benefits of even the Fifth Pay Commission,Sharma said.

The teachers leader said over 6,000 teachers of the primary sections attached to the higher secondary schools set up during the British period have not received the benefits of Fifth and Sixth pay commission.

The major demands of the state employees include regular payment of Dearness Allowance and payment of House Rent Allowance as recommended by the Sixth Pay Commission.

Contractual staffers blunt impact of strike on last day

The state government employees’ strike that continued till late on Saturday evening did not have a major impact on health services as the (Health) department had called for reinforcement in the form of lab technicians and contractual nurses.

While nurses,fourth grade employees,pharmacists and a group of lab technicians boycotted work in the day,the health administration managed the day’s work with help from matrons,contractual staff,trainee nurses and a few doctors. “We were never on strike but yesterday,we could not work because the group had called for the strike,” said S K Rawat,General Secretary of the UP Lab Technician Union. The critical patients were,however,given medical attention in various government hospitals.

“Though the pathologists,pharmacists and grade four employees remained on strike,there was partial attendance of nurses. With help from matrons and doctors,we managed the medical services for critical patients,” said Dr A K Chawla,Chief Medical Superintendent of Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Hospital.

Of the 220 beds in Veerangana Avanti Bai Women’s (Dufferin) Hospital,only 41 were occupied on Saturday,said chief medical superintendent Dr Amita Joshi. “Five patients were admitted today and two normal deliveries were done but no operations were carried out,” she added.

Contractual nurses and nurses appointed for Azamgarh and Jalaun Medical College took care of medical facilities at CSMMU. “Though the nurses are on strike,we made alternative arrangements from colleges at Jalaun and Azamgarh,” said Dr S N Shankhwar,Chief Medical Superintendent of CSMMU. Work at RML Hospital and Balrampur Hospital was also partially affected though the OPD and emergency facilities remained functional. “Health facilities across the state were functional on Saturday and the employees’ strike did not have any effect,” said Director General Health R R Bharti in an official communiqué.