Maharashtra Govt employees withdraw strike after positive assurance from state over demands

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government employees, who had gone on a three-day strike over various demands including salary hike, withdrew the stir today after receiving positive assurances from the state administration. Around 17 lakh Class-3 and Class-4 employees of the state government were on strike since Tuesday over their various demands, including implementation of recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission and filling up of vacant posts.

“We held discussions with the chief minister and the finance minister in the past and with the chief secretary today. The government has agreed to most of our demands,” Milind Sardeshmukh, president of the organisation which called for the protest, told reporters.

He claimed the situation in the state was not good, in view of protests by the Maratha community over its demand for reservation and the health and other emergency services being affected due to the strike by government employees.

“Our first priority is to help people and so, we have taken a step back. The government has assured us that our demands will be fulfilled,” Sardeshmukh said.

The Class-3 and Class-4 government



employees from various departments, including zilla parishads, teachers and state-run corporations, took part in the three-day strike. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had said last week that recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission will be implemented for state government employees from January 2019.

“The arrears of the Seventh Pay Commission will be given with retrospective effect from January 2016, while the Dearness Allowance will be given retrospectively for the last 14 months,” he had said after holding a meeting with various employees’ unions.

Sardeshmukh claimed that 1.85 lakh posts of Class-3 and Class-4 employees were lying vacant in Maharashtra and that the vacant posts in various departments increased the workload on employees. Around 30-40 per cent of total posts are lying vacant in hospitals and other essential services departments, he claimed.

Besides, the employees unions have also been demanding implementation of a five-day week working system, raising the retirement age from 58 years to 60 years, filling up various posts on compassionate grounds, continuation of the old pension scheme and two-year child care leave to women employees.