West Bengal: Govt employees to intensify protest over demand to increase dearness allowance

Kolkata: The protesting state government employees over enhancement in Dearness Allowance (DA) on Friday said that their protest will intensify in days to come and they will hold a big rally on May 6 near the area of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s residence in Kolkata.

Meeting with top bureaucrats 'unsuccessful': Employees

After holding a meeting with the Chief Secretary, Home Secretary and Finance Secretary at state secretariat Nabanna, the organizers of the Joint Forum of government employees said that the meeting was ‘unsuccessful’.

One of the organizers Bhaskar Ghosh said that the secretaries were just echoing the words of the Chief Minister and said that whenever they will have funds they will enhance the DA.

Organisers warn of big rallies and strikes if demand not met

“It is unfortunate that these secretaries get 42 per cent DA and we get just 6 per cent even though we have to feel the same pocket pinch due to inflation. At every occasion they just said that there is a crisis due to a fund freeze by the central government. But funds for MGNREGA have nothing to do with our DA,” said Ghosh.

Ghosh also warned of big rallies and strikes by the protestors in days to come.

“This government doesn’t care about resolving the problems of the employees. We don’t know how many are permanent staffers? We don’t even know how many posts are vacant? We demanded publishing of staff consensus. The way this government has sold jobs is shameful,” further added the protestors.