Clerks’ strike enters 14th day, work paralysed at govt offices in Gurugram

Residents visiting government offices are forced to bear the brunt of the strike and they said the state is not taking the issue seriously or proposing solutions

The strike by hundreds of clerks from various government departments, seeking a salary hike, entered its 14th day on Wednesday, with hundreds of vehicle and property registrations held up in Gurugram and routine operations of many other government departments, remaining suspended for the past two weeks.

Protesting clerks outside the Mini-Secretariat in Sector 11 in the city on Wednesday. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

Residents visiting government offices are forced to bear the brunt of the strike and they said the state is not taking the issue seriously or proposing solutions.

Clerks in government departments across the state went on strike on July 5, saying they would remain on indefinite mass leave until the Haryana government gives them a pay raise. In Gurugram, 700 clerks are on strike outside the mini-secretariat.

“We’ve been going to the revenue office every day for the last 10 days, but no one has given us a satisfactory answer. We have to return to Australia next week to collect the outstanding payment for the land we sold. Without the land registry, the buyer will not pay us the full amount,” said Manju Rathi, a Sushant Lok-1 resident who now lives in Australia with her husband.

Col (retd) Arun Mehra said that he has been going to the RTA office every day to register his car but to no avail. “They ask me to come the next day and give assurance that the process will be started each time. Most of the time, the lifts don’t work, and climbing the staircase at the age of 81 is difficult. My son is also in the army and is posted at a field station, so I must make the rounds. Will the operation stop if a clerk retires from a department?” he asked.

Similarly, Mukta Anand, a resident of Sector 81, said that the strike had prevented her from renewing her driving licence. “I have to take a cab to work every day because I can’t drive. The authorities must devise an alternate plan so the public does not suffer anymore,” she said.

The agitation has affected the work of various government-run departments, including Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG), excise, road transport authority (RTA), Haryana Roadways, education, revenue, irrigation, forest, wildlife, and power department.

The revenue department, RTA in charge of car registration, the Parivar Pehchan Patra (PPP), the driving licence, the education department, and the forest department are the ones severely impacted by the strike.

The clerks want their basic pay increased from ₹19,900 to ₹35,400 per month or to be on par with salaries offered in Punjab for similar posts.

Meanwhile, the protesting clerks will decide on the future of the strike based on the outcome of their meeting with the chief minister on Friday, according to Ved Prakash, a clerk from the deputy commissioner’s office. “We have a heavy workload, and we work overtime without pay. We are only asking for our basic rights and to be paid on par with the Punjab government,” he said.

Deepak Yadav of MCG’s taxation wing said it is difficult for them to provide two proper meals to their family members. “We were assured that our salaries would be increased, but these were empty promises. We are left with no choice but to go on strike. In such a high inflation period, it is difficult to sustain our families with less salary,” he said.

Gurugram deputy commissioner (DC) Nishant Kumar Yadav said on Wednesday that they are attempting to complete the pending work. “We are aware of the situation and are working to resolve it so that residents are not inconvenienced anymore. We are also working on backup plans to ensure that operations are not disrupted further,” he said.

The Clerks Association Welfare Society (CAWS) in Haryana, affiliated with the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, went on strike on July 5, while those affiliated with the Haryana Ministerial Staff Association, associated with the Sarv Karmchari Sangh, went on strike on July 12.