In West Bengal, a group of government employees are demanding an increase in their dearness allowance (DA) at central rates. Despite warnings of action from the authorities, the group has initiated a 48-hour pen-down strike.
One of the employees at the Writers’ Building, who participated in the strike, said that they are demanding what is their right and will not settle for anything less. However, the authorities have warned that they will take action against those who abstain from work.
The strike has disrupted work in various government institutions and if it continues it could cause significant inconvenience to the public. The government and the employee organisations need to find a way to resolve this issue and ensure that the public is not affected.
The Sangamri Joutha Manch, one of the employee organisations, claimed that the strike has affected several government offices since morning, and many employees came to their offices but didn’t work. The group has stated that their demand for an increase in the DA is fair, and they will continue to strike until their demand is met.
The Sangrami Joutha Mancha, an umbrella platform of 38 organisations of state government employees, is leading the strike.
On the first day, the strike received a mixed response. Members of the employee organisations joined the strike in various government institutions, including the Writers’ Buildings, New Secretariat, courts, schools, and other educational institutions in the state capital and several districts, including Birbhum, Medinipur, Nadia, Malda, Murshidabad, Howrah, and Hooghly.
