Despite High Court order directing the State Government to impose ESMA on the protesters who have been skipping duties for the past few months and the Government having enforced no-work, no pay order on protesters on Monday, the Uttarakhand Ministerial Collectorate Employees’ Union set an ultimatum to the State Government for three days to withdraw ESMA and remove the no- work- no- pay order. They warned they would otherwise intensify their stir in support of their pending demands. The stir has been going on for the past two months or so.
However, the meeting of UMCEU members with the Uttarakhand Finance Minister Dr Indira Hridayesh slated on Tuesday evening could not take place, informed Dehradun Ministerial Collectorate Employees’ Union president Rajendra Kumar, adding that their agitation would continue and the union members would stage sit-in in support of pending demands at the Collectorate campus.
Earlier, 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 the 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.
Earlier, Uttarakhand High Court had strictly directed the Government to impose ESMA on the protesters who have been skipping duties for the past two months. Kumar further 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.