Now, government employees threaten to strike

Mumbai: Even as the prolonged farmers’ agitation has forced a debt-ridden state  to promise loan waiver of Rs 30,000 crore, the state is likely to face one more strike, this time round by government employees over the seventh pay commission.

The Maharashtra State Gazetted Officers’ Union has issued warning to the state to decide on the matter, else employees will go on strike from July 12. The state had already formed a committee under former secretary, K.P. Bakshi to look into details and finances.

With the Centre declaration that it will start paying employees as per the seventh pay commission starting July 2017, state employees too are demanding that the new pay scales be implemented with effect from January 1, 2016.

G.D. Kulathe, leader of the employees’ union, said, “Our demand is reasonable. We are not saying that start paying us right now. But we just want assurance that the state will give us arrears from January 1, 2016 on the lines of the Centre.”

Asked why the union was not ready to wait till Mr Bakshi submitted his report, Mr Kulathe said, “This committee has not even started its work. It has not conducted interviews. Hence we want the state to take our demands seriously.”