The 11-day-old strike by the Uttar Pradesh state Government employees was called off on Friday evening following intervention of the lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court.
The High Court agreed to monitor talks between the the employees and the Government. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Dhananjay Yashwant Chandrachud and Justice Rituraj Awasthi directed the state government and employee organisations to initiate a dialogue regarding their 15-point charter of demandsof the employees.
The Court also stated that the strike period should be considered as "Earn leave" of the employees. Moreover no action should be taken against the employees under the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA). The Court has fixed December 3 as the next date of hearing in the matter.
Nearly 18 lakh state government employees had been on strike since November 11. Despite efforts by the State Government the employees had been adamant on their demands and refused to budge from their stand. The strike had paralysed medical services, hence the Government had to invoke ESMA against the agitating employees. Finally the Government tried to convince the employees to keep the essential sevices out of the ambit of the strike since it was adversly affecting the common people, who were suffering as a result of the strike.
However the Court intervened and initially directed the State Government to hold talks with the agitatibng employees. Finally on Friday the stike was withdrawn following the Court directive. Prominent among the 15- point charter demands include of anomalies in salarystructure, parity in allowances with Centre Government employees, amendments in promotion policy and pension benefits, fixing minimum wages for class four employees.
Meanwhile, the Allahabad High Court, on Friday, granted further time to the state government to talk with the striking state government employees and end the strike that began on November 11. A division bench of Justice Sheo Kumar Singh and Justice PKS Baghel hearing the PIl filed for seeking court’s intereference for ending the strike, fixed November 27 as the next date of hearing in the case. The PIl has been filed by Ajay Kumar Pandit.