Govt employees across Haryana to go on 2-day strike from Oct 30: Union leaders

CHANDIGARH: Government employees across Haryana will go on a two-day strike starting October 30 to express solidarity with Haryana Roadways employees and oppose the state's decision to run 700 private buses, leaders of various employees' unions said Sunday.

Hundreds of state government employees had gone on mass casual leave on Friday to extend support to the Roadways employees on strike since October 16.

On Sunday, the Sarv Karamchari Sangh's coordination committee, in a meeting here, announced that various employees' unions have lent their support to the protesting Roadways employees.

"Government employees from various departments, boards, corporations, municipalities and panchayati raj institutions will go on a two-day strike on October 30," Subhash Lamba, general secretary of the Sarv Karamchari Sangh, Haryana, said.

He alleged that the Haryana government was bent on privatising Roadways and asserted that the trade unions would not allow privatisation in any state government department.

"The state government has not taken back its decision to run 700 odd private buses. Now, even after the two-day strike from October 30, if the government does not roll back its decision and withdraw cases under the Essential Services Maintenance Act registered against the striking transport workers, we will start a 'Pol Khol' campaign against the government before the people," he said.

Lamba said if the state government was facing dearth of funds to buy 700 odd buses for Haryana Roadways, government employees from all departments were ready to contribute and meet these expenses from their salaries.

The Haryana Roadways employees had Thursday decided to further their strike till October 29 as a fresh round of talks with the government failed to make any headway.

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had earlier said Roadways employees should put forward the issues concerning them and not "interfere" in policy matters of the government, justifying that the decision to run 700 private buses was for the public's convenience.

The employees are on strike since October 16 against the government's decision.

The government, on its part, has made alternate arrangements, including making fresh recruitment of drivers and conductors to run the Roadways buses, besides hiring buses from other sources.

There are about 19,000 employees in Haryana Roadways.

The department, having a fleet of 4,100 buses, cater to about 12 lakh passengers daily.