A faction of state government employees, backed by opposition employee unions, plans to go on strike to protest the delayed disbursement of dearness allowance arrears and other benefits. Meanwhile, the Kerala government has declared that if government employees participate in the one-day strike scheduled for today, that is, 24 January 2024, their absence will be considered unauthorised, leading to a deduction of a day’s pay from their February salary.
The directive, issued by the general administration department, states that no leave will be approved for employees on the strike day, except in emergencies. Those seeking medical leave must submit a government doctor-signed and sealed medical certificate. In cases where the authenticity of the medical certificate is questioned by the department head, the employee may be required to appear before a medical board.
The directive further mentioned that if temporary workers skip work for the strike without permission, they may lose their jobs.
The employees have several demands, including getting their pending allowances, bringing back the leave surrender benefit, fixing issues in the Medisep insurance scheme, receiving overdue revision dues, forming the 12th Pay Commission and restoring the statutory pension system.
The leaders criticise the government for not providing any benefits for 33 months, pending allowances for three years, lost benefits for four months, and disappointment over a broken promise regarding the contributory pension scheme.