Rajasthan government employees to go on mass leave on Friday

Rajasthan government employees will go on mass leave on Friday to press their demands, which include implementing the recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission with retrospective effect from January 1, 2016.

"Around 70 per cent of the total employees have already submitted their leave applications to the respective authorities," said Gajendra Rathore, convener of the Akhil Rajasthan Rajya Karamchari Sanyukt Sangarsh Samiti.

"By evening, this percentage is sure to increase," he added.

The state government had on December 2, 2017, announced that it would provide benefits to its nearly 12.5 lakh employees and pensioners with effect from January 1 this year under the seventh pay panel recommendations.

Protesting against this announcement, a large number of state government employees had gathered at Ram Niwas Garden here on December 3 to take out a protest rally to the Civil Lines area.

According to Rathore, the state employees will stage a phase-wise protest. On December 8, they will go on mass leave, while on December 11, they will launch a 48-hour fast. On Dec 12, they will observe a pen-down protest and on December 13, a massive protest will be staged at the district headquarters.

"The failure of the state's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in meeting its promises will be highlighted," he said.

The employees will also highlight a list of promises that the BJP made before the polls, which included the promise to bring the pay-scales of state government employees at par with those of the central government.

"The protest will remind the BJP of its failed promises at a time when it will celebrate four years of the formation of their government in the state," said Rathore.

--IANS

arc/nir/bg