Clerical employees strike hits works at govt offices in Karnal

Parveen Arora

Tribune News Service

Karnal, August 12

The strike by the clerical staff in Karnal has brought government offices to a near standstill, leaving these wearing a deserted look and forcing residents to return home without getting their works done.

The strike began on Monday under the banner of the Clerical Association Welfare Society, Haryana, to press for their long-standing demands, including salary hike. The clerical staff had also staged a dharna for 42 days last year from July 5 to August 15.

They are demanding a hike in their pay scale from Rs 21,700 to Rs 35,400, implementation of an assurance given by former Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who had promised to consider 35 out of the 42 strike days last year as working days and the remaining seven days as leave. Despite the assurance, the demands remain unfulfilled, leading to the current strike.

Pardeep Kumar Parjapati, the district president of the association, expressed his anger over the government’s inaction.

“We have been demanding a pay scale of Rs 35,400, but our requests have fallen on deaf ears, forcing us to resort to the strike for three days,” said Parjapati.

While staging a dharna outside the Mini-Secretariat in the city, he highlighted the additional demands such as assured career promotion after eight years, filling up of all vacant posts and exemption from the computer test for widows of employees under the ex-gratia scheme.

The impact of the strike was witnessed in key departments, including education, revenue, Public Works Department (B&R), agriculture, transport, and Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP), and others. The first day of the strike saw disruption in these departments.

Sanjay Kumar, a resident said, “I have some urgent work at the district Education Department, but due to the strike I have to return.”

Amit Kumar, another resident, who visited the Revenue Department, said he had to return without work as the clerks were on strike.

Protest in Hisar

• Clerical staff started their three-day strike outside the Mini-Secretariat in Hisar on Monday.
• The work in the government offices suffered as an overwhelming number of the clerical staff participated in the strike.
• The employee leader, Kuldeep Godara, said if the demands were not met, the strike could be extended further. TNS