Strike continues, finance and accounts works relaxed
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, March 26 2018:
Despite Chief Minister N Biren's warning to hire people for official works in case the employees currently on cease work strike do not return to duty by today, a meeting of the executive council of the JAC of AMGEO and AMTUC has decided to continue with the indefinite cease work strike.
Nonetheless, the JAC has decided to relax the strike for accounts and financial works in view of the closure of the current financial year this week.
However, no definite information could be obtained whether the Government has hired people who can do official works as announced by the Chief Minister.
Speaking to The Sangai Express, JAC secretary general Laitonjam Biken conveyed that the executive council meeting held this afternoon resolved to continue with the indefinite cease work strike until the Government fulfils the JAC's charter of demands which include payment of 7th Pay to State Government employees, pensioners, workers and teachers with retrospective effect from January 1, 2016.The cease Work strike would go on even though the Chief Minister has announced that dies non would be invoked against all employees supporting the strike apart from sending out police teams to pull up representatives of the JAC, Biken said.
Notably, the indefinite cease work strike started from March 22.Biken said that the cease work strike would be relaxed for officials/employees dealing with accounts and financial matters in view of the closure of the financial year.
However, the JAC should not be accountable for employees who do not do their works in time.
The JAC does not have any inclination to undertake any kind of strike but it was constrained to launch the indefinite cease work strike as the Government failed to fulfil any of the assurances given by the Chief Minister during the four meetings he held with representatives of the JAC.
The cease work strike was invited by the Government's failure to take a concrete decision even after the JAC had met the Finance Minister, the Chief Secretary and members of the fitment committee, Biken said.
If the JAC receives a formal invitation for another round of talk within the current month, the JAC would respect the same gesture and it would decide based on the outcome of the talk whether the cease work strike should go on or not, Biken said.
Maintaining the ongoing cease work strike is a democratic agitation and a struggle for the legitimate rights of State Government employees and pensioners, the secretary general cautioned against sending out police teams to arrest JAC representatives and invoking dies non against employees on strike.
There is no guarantee that such actions of the Government would not intensify the agitation which may result in untoward incidents, Biken said.
On the other hand, a Government meeting presided by Chief Minister N Biren on March 24 deliberated on the ongoing cease work strike and decided to take up necessary actions.
The meeting decided to identify representatives of the JAC who have been spearheading the strike and the DGP was instructed to pull them up, informed another source.
The Chief Minister reportedly instructed the officials and heads of departments concerned to take up legal action against employees on strike under the Essential Services Maintenance Act and Section 144 of CrPC, deploy police teams to guard Government offices and monitor attendance of employees.
On the other hand, Chief Minister N Biren told media recently that implementation of the 7th Pay would require additional fund of Rs 1400 crore every year and the State's financial situation at the moment is not in a position to bear such a huge additional expenditure.
Yet, the JAC has been asking the whereabouts of the fund awarded to the State by the 14th Finance Commission.
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