The technical, administrative and supporting staff of ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation (IISWC), Dehradun is observing pen-down and tool down strike since April 23 in support of their demands. The strike continued on Tuesday with staff members expressing solidarity with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Central Joint Staff Council secretary Deepak Kaul and others who have been on a hunger strike at ICAR headquarters in New Delhi since April 16.
The staff said that they were compelled to take such an action as the ICAR has not implemented the cabinet decision of 1997 till date and also has not taken any decision on the seven long pending genuine demands of the staff. The demands directly affecting the employees are cadre review of administrative and supporting staff, removal of anomalies of technical services filling up the vacant posts of supporting staff with DPl working at the Institutes since 1985, non payment of bonus to staff since the past three years and implementation of uniform transfer policy with transparency.
This strike is in force in nearly all the 108 ICAR institutes across the country. In Dehradun, the IISWC IJSC secretary Satvinder Singh is leading the pen down and tool down strike at the institute.