Claim and counter-claim over UP govt employees' strike

The Uttar Pradesh government today claimed that the ongoing employees' strike in the state was "unsuccessful", attracting prompt reactions from the workers' associations rejecting the claim.
In a statement here, a government spokesman claimed that reports of the strike creating an impact on essential services and loss of revenue was false. He said paramedical staff in several districts, including Varanasi, have decided not to participate in the strike.
The spokesman claimed emergency services like hospitals, the offices of municipal corporation and Nagar Palika, and public buses were operating smoothly. He said the government was considering the demand of the employees and asked them not to get misled and play their role in the state's development.

Claiming success of their strike, leader of Rajya Karamchari Adhikaar Manch, which is spearheading the agitation, Hari Kishore Tiwari said the state election commission has postponed the November 19 zilla panchayat polls in some districts in the wake of the strike.
"If there had been no impact of the strike, the commission would have not asked the government to postpone the elections," he said. Tiwari said there was no meaning of the government's claim only because essential services have not been disturbed so far.
He said medical services would be interrupted in a phased manner from tomorrow. He claimed there was no positive indication from the government so far, therefore the strike continues.

Samajwadi Party spokesman Rajendra Chaudhary appealed to the employees not to get misled by those attempting to tarnish the image of the government. He claimed there was no logic to continue the strike as the government is ready to talk.
Earlier, talks between the leaders of the striking employees and principal secretary (personnel) Rajiv Kumar on November 13 last failed to reach a conclusion.
"Rajiv Kumar said that he would take up the issue with chief secretary Javed Usmani and would call us for further talks as soon as possible," Tiwari had said.