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| Govt talks tough, SRTC strike declared illegal | | Meanwhile, some soft talk also: clerical staff being persuaded to join back | | Early Times Reporter
Jammu | Mar 4
Taking a direct confrontation with the employees of State Road Transport Corporation, the government is now making all efforts to persuade the clerical staff to call off their strike.
In the election year the government is passing through tough times as it has been cornered by the employees on a variety of issues. While strike of SRTC employees has today been declared as illegal and notices for legal action have been issued upon them, the Divisional Commissioner of Jammu, Sudhanshu Pandey is engaged in negotiations with the clerical staff which has been on strike.
Taking stringent measures against the striking SRTC employees, the Secretary Transport Dilip Singh today told a press conference that their strike has been declared unlawful and the striking employees are liable to legal action if they fail to join duties immediately.
employees strike declared unlawful
Government has issued notice to the employees of JKSRTC asking them to resume their duties in their respective units/areas forthwith and start the operational activities of the corporation adding that failure on this count will make employees of the corporation liable for prosecution under the relevant laws and rules.
A government order issued to this effect by the Transport department here today, says that JKSRTC has been declared as an essential service in terms of essential services (Maintenance) Ordinance 2001, as such, the employees of the corporation cannot abandon their employment and duty or absent themselves from the work or abstain from discharging their duties, failing which they shall be deemed to have committed an offence under Section 5 of the Ordinance.
The order further says that in pursuance of Section 4 of the Essential Services (Maintenance Ordinance) 2001 (1944 AD), all the employees of JKSRTC are called upon to resume their duties forthwith at their units / areas.
The order says that the employees of SRTC have proceeded on strike since February 19, 2008 and were appealed time and again to resume their duties in the wake of release of their pending salaries placed at the disposal of their unit officers for disbursement, and in the event of non-resumption of their duty, causing inconvenience to the general public especially school going children and pecuniary loss to the corporation, the government/management would be constrained to take action against them.
Dalip Singh here explained the necessity of issuing the order and said that government will not allow a group of employees to cause unabated inconvenience to the public especially school going children. He asked the striking employees to resume their duties urgently for the larger interest of the Corporation, Corporation employees and above all the general public. He added government would be otherwise compelled to take stringent action against the employees bent upon creating trouble. He said government has already released salaries of the employees of the Corporation and kept these at the disposal of concerned officers for disbursement.
Meanwhile, the Divisional Commissioner Jammu Pandey has said that government is also contemplating to form joint consultative mechanism headed by officer of the rank of Financial Commission and its members drawn from Finance, Planning and General Administration Departments to resolve the problems faced by government employees. This would give them an adequate platform to settle their grievances without resorting to roadside settlement through strikes etc.
Pandey stated this while interacting with All J&K Clerical Staff Employees Association who had also called on him three days back for settling all pending issues prior to pay commission report of Government of India. They next round of talks will be held on 5th March 2008.
Ram Kumar President of the Association, in his statement hailed the decision of the government and said that all clerical staff employees are passing through tremendous stress for a long time. They first sat on dharna on 16th January 2008 and thereafter are on strike for the last 9 days from 25th February 2008. He said that they will discuss the two day deliberations with their apex body and it is expected that the issue will be resolved amicably. |
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