Karnataka State Government Employees Association has withdrawn the protest after the government decided to hike the salaries of the employees by 17 percent. In a desperate bid to end the indefinite strike by the government employees, the government announced the hike and
stated that they would set up a committee to study the feasibility of the old pension scheme.
Credits – The Indian Express
After a meeting with the Finance Department, CM Basavraj Bommai said that the committee will not only study the matter at hand in Karnataka but will also do so for other states in the country.
#BREAKING #Karnataka State Government Employees' Association withdraws protest after the government decided to hike their salaries by 17 per cent.
— Mahesh Chitnis (@Mahesh_Chitnis) March 1, 2023
Over eight lakh government employees launched an indefinite strike in Karnataka on March 1. The protesting employees demanded several provisions, including the implementation of the 7th Pay Commission report. The demands also include the reversion of the Old Pension Scheme and the implementation of at least 40% fitment facilities.
Chief Minister Basavraj Bommai tried having the last minute meetings with the aggrieved party, however, it did not help the cause. The strike which began on Wednesday morning has already started showing ripple effects across the state.
“The interim report of the 7th Pay Commission will be sought and implemented for which the money has been earmarked in the state budget,” said Chief Minister Basavraj Bommai. A day before the planned protests, the CM also stated that the government has already accepted the demands of the employees to revise the pay after seeking the interim report. He also assured that the commission will be instructed to submit the report for the government to implement it.
Credits – Prokerala
According to a report by The Hindu, the following are the areas that were affected by the strikes –
- Prelim examinations for class 10
- No service other than the emergency service is available in hospitals.
- Complete shutdown of the secretariat.
- Revenue and Waste management services have been partially affected.
While some general hospitals turned away the patients in need, there were a few others where the patients came in for regular follow-up checks. In a few hospitals, the scheduled surgeries were postponed.
“Around 10,000 employees in various city corporations in Karnataka, including BBMP employees, will extend support to the strike,” Karnataka City Corporation Employees’ Association president A. Amruthraj said.
