Government employees and teachers go on strike

Thiruvananthapuram: A section of the Government employees and teachers went on a token strike on Tuesday under the aegis of action council of State employees and teachers unions.

Pro-government unions did not participating in the strike. The striking unions demanded that the Pay Revision Commission Report should be implemented with retrospective effect. Attempts to reduce staff strength should be dropped.

Attendance was generally low in government offices. An official release said that 65.2 per cent of the employees reported for work at the Secretariat. If one excluded those on leave, the attendance was 70.1 per cent. In the districts, 62.45 per cent of employees reported for duty.

However, most of the government offices did not function normally. Attendance was thin at offices in Vikas Bhavan and Public Office Building.

The striking employees took out a march to the secretariat. Demonstrations were held in district headquarters also.  Police had to intervene to facilitate entry of employees who reported for duty at the PSC Office.

The ruling Front maintained that the strike is part of a political game to develop an anti-government feeling among the employees and teachers before the Assembly elections. The government has announced that dies non (no work, no pay policy) would apply to the strike.