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Rajasthan government offers additional DA to striking employees

Kamla Bora in Jaipur

The Rajasthan government has unilaterally announced that it will pay an additional instalment of dearness allowance to its staff with effect from July 1, 1999.

The announcement came after three rounds of talks with leaders of the state government employees failed to end their 55-day-old strike.

Earlier, the Joint Action Committee of the employees called upon all state government staff to reach Jaipur on February 10 to stage an indefinite dharna (sit-in) to pressurise the administration to agree to its demands.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot told a hurriedly convened press conference last night that the government had made the unilateral offer because the talks had failed on account of the "adamant attitude" of the employees' leaders.

But he refused to pay the bonus and salary of the staff for the duration of the strike. He said the additional instalment of DA would be paid in cash with effect from July 1 this year and the arrears from last July would be deposited in the employees' provident fund accounts.

But as a gesture of goodwill, he said the government would pay an advance of 21 days' salary to each employee, to be deducted in three instalments subsequently.

He also said the employees would be granted special leave for the period of the strike so that they could be spared the break in service.

Gehlot warned the employees, on indefinite strike since December 15, crippling water supply, sanitation and medical and health services, to resume work within 72 hours or face stern action.

He accused the employees' leaders of launching the strike without reason and putting the staff members in trouble.

With the talks between the government and the JAC failing, the situation is delicately poised. While the government thinks the exhausted employees will slowly return to work after the latest concessions, the union leaders are banking on outside support now. The Rajasthan Gazetted Officers Services Confederation has called upon its 100,000 members to take mass causal leave tomorrow to express solidarity with the striking employees. Four major trade unions -- the Centre for Indian Trade Unions, All-India Trade Union Congress, Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh and Hind Mazdoor Sabha -- have also decided to back the employees.

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