Haryana government withdraws ‘no work, no pay’ order

The Haryana government has officially withdrawn its ‘no work, no pay’ directive issued against the agitating clerks who remained on strike for 42 days and decided to release the salary of the strike period of the employees.

The Haryana government has officially withdrawn its ‘no work, no pay’ directive issued against the agitating clerks who remained on strike for 42 days and decided to release the salary of the strike period of the employees.

The duration of the strike by the clerks (July 5 to August 15) will not be treated as break in service, according to an order the finance department (FD) has issued on September 6. The Haryana government has officially withdrawn its ‘no work, no pay’ directive issued against the agitating clerks who remained on strike for 42 days and decided to release the salary of the strike period of the employees. (Representational image)

The duration of the strike by the clerks (July 5 to August 15) will not be treated as break in service, according to an order the finance department (FD) has issued on September 6.

The department has stated that the government has now decided that strike period of clerks may be treated as “leave of kind due” and that salary of the clerks for the period of strike may not be deducted.

“The strike period may also not be treated as break in service. Accordingly, all the drawing and disbursing officers of the departments are hereby directed to release the salary of clerks for the strike period,” reads the letter the copy of which has been marked to all the administrative secretaries and heads of the departments.

The decision to release salary comes ahead of the September 13 meeting of the clerks association with the committee the state government had constituted on August 23 to look into the demands of the clerks associations.

The committee comprises of P Raghavendra Rao, chairman of the Haryana Pollution Control Board (HPCB); PK Das, chairperson, Haryana Power Utilities; and Pankaj, special secretary, finance department

Meanwhile, on Friday the committee chairman P Raghavendra Rao sent a letter to clerks association and members of the panel that first meeting of the panel set up to review the duties and responsibilities of the clerical cadre will be held on September 13 at Panchkula in the office of HPCB chairman.

After talks between the protesting clerks and the Haryana government failed to break the logjam, the state government on July 27 invoked the ‘no-work, no-pay’ principle and decided not to release the salary of the protesting clerks for the period of strike.

Vikrant Tanwar, state president of the Haryana clerical association welfare society, said their demands include hike in salary.

“The clerks posted in the education department retire with the same designation. If the government can’t give them promotion due to their more strength, at least their salary should be hiked as clerks in other departments get promotion in eight years,” he added.

He said that they are waiting for the committee’s report and if their demands are not accepted, they will start an agitation.