Some top bureaucrats in the state had to hire private transport as the association of drivers of various government departments went on strike on Tuesday demanding better pay and raising of perks. While on Republic Day, a large number of these drivers reported on duty, they wore black bands to lodge protest.
The All Haryana Government and Semi-Government Drivers Association, which has 4,500 regular members and 1,500 contractual drivers as its members, claimed that all drivers will go on an indefinite strike from Thursday.
In addition to the payment of anomalies correction, we are demanding that our special pay (perks) be raised from Rs 300 to at least Rs 1,500 as it has not been raised since 1986, said a union leader.
The government has reacted sharply to this and said that any attempt to block the normal work flow would be dealt with strictly. If need be, we may impose the Essential Services Maintenance ACT ( ESMA), said a senior government official.
The Association members also held demonstrations at various places in the state including Gurgaon, Panchkula, Hisar and Karnal.
Our demands are justified. But instead of looking in to our problems, the government is threatening us. But we are not going to budge from our demand, said a union leader, who is also the driver of a senior bureaucrat.
In view of the strike call, all administrative secretaries, heads of departments and deputy commissioners in the state have been directed to send daily attendance reports of drivers to the government, government official said. They have also been asked to take disciplinary action against those who abstain from duty or indulge in unlawful activities.
Meanwhile, the official also said that the state is considering certain demands of the drivers.
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