The no-work, no pay order being applied by the State Government on Monday seems to have left no impact on the stir being spearheaded by Uttarakhand Ministerial Collectorate Employees’ Union. The stir has been going on for the past two months or so. However, a delegation of UMCEU met the Uttarakhand Finance Minister Dr Indira Hridayesh on Monday evening and apprised her of their demands.
Uttarakhand Cabinet Minister Harak Singh Rawat was also present in the meeting. The meeting ended on a positive note, informed Dehradun Ministerial Collectorate Employees’ Union president Rajendra Kumar, adding that their agitation would continue and the next meeting is likely to be held on Tuesday.
However, the Principal Secretary Radha Raturi said that no work no pay system has been imposed. “We are studying Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) and soon action against protesters will be taken under the ESMA. High Court has given three days’ time to implement the order. We are appealing the employees to resume duty immediately,” she added.
The Uttarakhand High Court has strictly directed the Government to impose ESMA on the protesters who have been skipping duties for the past months.Moreover, to coerce the State Government into accepting their demands, Uttarakhand Ministerial Collectorate Employees’ Union continued its demonstration at Collectorate on Monday. Protesters assembled at the protest site and shouted slogans against the State Government for allegedly failing to address their long-pending demands. The association may move the High Court with a review petition against the recent order on ESMA to be imposed on the protesters, Kumar said.
He said, “Despite written assurances given by the State Government earlier for the fulfillment of their pending demands, their concerns are yet to be redressed.” The demands include ten percent seats of Nayab Tehsildar being reserved for ministerial employees and re-jigging the Collectorate, among others.