K'taka govt employees' union demands 7th Pay Commission, threatens strike

Karnataka government employees union has announced to go on an indefinite strike from March 1 if their demand for implementation of recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission is not fulfilled.

The announcement of the strike can act as a setback to the Basavaraja Bommai-led BJP in Karnataka. Union President, CS Shadakshari, said that if the demand is not met, all the government employees will stage protests across the state and will also abstain from performing their official duties.

Talking to the journalists in Shimoga, Shadakshari said that Chief Minister Basavaraja Bommai had turned a blind eye to the demands of government employees. CM Bommai's behaviour has caused sadness to nine lakh employees of the Karnataka government.

The union president further said that government employees will take part in the protest by abstaining from their duties at schools, colleges, hospitals, and other government institutions.

He also said that the protest will end only when the government issues interim orders for the implementation of the recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission. If the orders are not issued, the protest will continue, Shadakshari said.

For the unversed, the government employees in Karnataka were expecting that the Bommai government would declare the implementation of the 7th pay commission on the revision of salaries. Later, when CM Bommai made no mention of the 7th pay commission in his budget speech, the government employees were devastated.

The Karnataka government employees have made three major demands which include the implementation of the 7th Pay Commission in the state, implementation of the old pension scheme (OPS), and implementation of at least 40 per cent of fitment facilities.