Kolkata, March 13 (IANS) Various associations representing West Bengal government employees, consolidated under the collective organisation of Sangrami Joutho Mancha (Joint Movement Forum), have initiated a complete work stoppage on Friday to express their discontent regarding the purported hesitation and inaction of the government concerning the disbursement of Dearness Allowance (DA).

As per the Joint Movement Forum, the state government has provided sufficient signals to disregard the Supreme Court’s ruling from last month, which mandated the payment of 25 per cent of the DA arrears from 2008 to 2019 by March 31. Furthermore, it was instructed to adhere to a step-by-step approach, as directed by the apex court, to ensure that DA payments to employees are aligned with those of Central government staff, along with the arrears that have accumulated since 2008.

“But till now, there has been no initiative on the part of the state government even as regards payment of the 25 per cent DA arrears accrued between 2008 and 2019 by March 31. Instead, the state government has approached the apex court again, seeking time till December this year to pay 25 per cent of the DA arrears. So we have decided to go for a total cease-work today,” said the joint forum convener Bhaskar Ghosh.

He also said that besides the direct state government employees, teachers of different state-run and state-aided schools, employees of different autonomous bodies like municipal corporations, municipalities, and panchayat bodies, as well as the employees from different state government undertakings, will participate in the strike.

“Today’s cease-work will be a historical one not witnessed during the last one and a half decades,” Ghosh said.

However, the state government is keen to foil the cease-work. It has already issued a notification making attendance of the employees concerned mandatory on Friday. The state government has also decided that no Casual Leave or any other leave for absence either in the 1st half or in the 2nd half or for the whole day shall be granted to any employee on Friday.

However, there will be exceptions for cases like hospitalisation of the employee concerned, bereavement in the family, severe illness, and absence continuing before Friday, and employees who had been on child care leave, maternity leave, medical leave, and earned leave sanctioned earlier.

The state government has also made it clear that if absence was not covered by any of the above-mentioned reasons and the leave has not been approved, the same will be treated as ‘dies-non’ and no salary will be admissible for the above-mentioned day.

“Those who will not respond to the show-cause notice will be liable to disciplinary action. All courses of action in terms of this order should be completed by March 31

–IANS

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