It may sound strange but true that employees, including Government and contractual workers, have been blackmailing the Government by organising protest or strike.
By doing this they have been creating nuisance for the Sstate and residents as well. It is an open secret that they don't bother about public welfare. Social experts say that most of the Government employees had played active role in Statehood agitation; so they don't know anything except to protest to put pressure on the State.
Recently, the State Employees' Joint Council Uttarakhand (SEJCU) had organised a 21-day-long protest with a claim that they had support of 215 organisations having strength of around two lakh employees. In reality, they had mere support of 3,898 employees, but they managed to black mail the State Government.
They were demanding three assured carrier promotion (ACP) and grade pay Rs 4,200 in place of Rs 2,800. As per the figure issued by the state treasury department Dehradun (418); Haridwar (195), Tehri (179), Rudraprayag (72), Chamoli (319), Uttarkashi (260), Pithoragarh (271), Champawat (103), Bageshwar (190), Almora (365), Nainital (882) and Udhamsinghnagar (644) employees were on strike. Interestingly they were not being supported by the employee of Pauri district.
It would be interesting to know that they sought a slogan 'hamari mange puri karo chahe jo majboori ho' (you fulfil our demand whatever the compulsion).
State Government had also waived off VAT to the state government employee if he/she buys vehicle. Even they managed to force the State Government to allow them VAT free for the purchase of vehicles. It means they can purchase 1,000 two wheelers and can purchase 400 four wheelers upto Rs six lakh per year.
While calling off their strike, SEJCU President Prahlad Singh had claimed that 25 out of 29 points were accepted by the State Government on November 6. Following on the inconvenience to the people due to strike, which ended after 21 days, employees have decided to do two hour extra work everyday.
They had promised that they would work two hours extra, including one hour each in morning and evening, but in reality they come to office by 11 am or after and leave office by 4 pm which means they are working two hour less then their duty hour.
Now contractual employees of all three power corporation including Uttarakhand Power Corporation limited (UPCl), Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam limited (UJVNl), Power Transmission Corporation of Uttarakhand limited (PTCUl) under the banner of Uttarakhand Vidyut Samvida Karmchari Sangathan (UVSKS) have been sitting in protest for the last fortnight. They have been demanding that they should be regularized by the corporations.
Their demands are 15 per cent hike in salary, enforcement of labour laws and provision of Rs10 lakh compensation.
A senior officer said that they might have forgotten that they were recruited through contract, but now they are blackmailing the Government. In contractual jobs, both employees and employers are free to terminate their contract if either fails to fulfill their contract, but in Uttarakhand they pretend that they should be regularized. In this regard, they cross the limit and storm in the house of Narendranagar MlA Subodh Uniyal house and later expressed regret for this.
Talking to the Pioneer a member of UVSKS said that during meeting MlA Uniyal was present but now he was not paying attention on their demand so they decided to staged protest outside their house.
Earlier, Ministerial employees were on strike and putting pressure on State Government to end the pay anomalies in the state government. They justified their claim by saying that the assistant teachers in Education Department, nursing staff and pharmacy officer in Health Department, head constable in Police Department, forest guard, forest officer in Forest Department, Secretariat assistant reviewing officer and reviewing officer and others are given their salaries by following the pattern of Uttar Pradesh on grade pay and they are withdrawing their salaries according to sixth pay commission on the same grade pay but they are not being paid as per the norms.
Now question is being raised that why state government fails to plug the anomalies in pay bandIJ If they believe that their demands are wrong then why they are being called for table talkIJ
Getting fed up with day to day protest outside Vidhan Sabha, speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal instructed Dehradun DM BVRC Purushottam to remove the protesters from here then they were allocated space to protest at old Raipur bus stand. Now everyday more than five or six organisations can be seen organising protest. Recently ASHA workers have stormed over water tank and threatening that they would commit suicide if state fails to put their demand.
When the Pioneer tried to find out the reason behind day to day protest then an official said that in 2012, secretariat employee had staged protest and shouted slogan against the State Government and then chief secretary Alok Kumar Jain. To suppress their agitation state government had issued an order no work no pay and even they had terminated a dozen officials but later government had cancelled the termination order and their strike period converted into earned leave.
It all happened because Tehri lok Sabha by poll was imminent. Even Political party used to instigate them that if their Government comes then they would fulfill their demand.