Budget Session: Strikes, protests can cost Himachal govt staff jobs

Pratibha Chauhan

Shimla, February 25

Holding a strike, protest or a dharna can cost state government employees their jobs, according to an order issued by the state Personnel Department today. Employees have been protesting in support of their demands.

“Defaulters indulging in unlawful activities should immediately be placed under suspension or removed from service,” the order stated. The order comes against the backdrop of protests and demonstrations held outside the Vidhan Sabha by anganwari workers, outsourced and other employees, both regular as well as contractual, causing embarrassment to the government.

“Protests by employees when the Vidhan Sabha session is going on is tantamount to gross indiscipline, insubordination and dereliction of official duties. Participation in such activities by government servants is unbecoming of them and will constitute a sufficient reason to proceed against them under Rule 11 of the Central Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1965,” the order stated.

It stated that during employees protest, often forcible confinement of public servants were witnessed, and demonstrations and meetings were held on office premises during working hours by resorting to pen-down strike of taking casual leave. Such activities, demonstrations, measures were detrimental and prejudicial to the public order and also involved criminal offences such as wrongful restraint, wrongful confinement, criminal trespass or abetment, incitement to commit offences, it added.

Leader of the Opposition Mukesh Agnihotri had yesterday accused Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur of behaving in a dictatorial manner by threatening employees. Interestingly, the Chief Minister had said in the Vidhan Sabha yesterday that the employees had also given a tough time to the previous Congress government, hence it was nothing new.

The government had faced embarrassment when more than 200 uniformed police constables descended on the Chief Minister’s official residence some time ago to demand enhanced pay scales. The doctors of the Health Department, too, had been observing a token strike, before calling off their agitation yesterday.

‘Gross indiscipline’

• Protests by government staff when the Vidhan Sabha session is going on amounts to gross indiscipline, insubordination and dereliction of official duties, the order states.
• Participation in such activities by employees will constitute a sufficient reason to proceed against them.
• Protests detrimental and prejudicial to public order and also involved criminal offences.