Right to strike not for govt staff: Bharadwaj

Union Law Minister HR Bharadwaj has ruled out any policy, which will allow government employees the right to strike, despite the Left parties stress on it.

"Industrial workers in our country are allowed to resort to collective bargaining and strike legally. But the same is not for government employees. There is a clear-cut ruling of the Supreme Court in this," he said.

The Left parties had earlier got some assurance from Suresh Pachouri, minister of state for personnel.

"Bharadwaj's stance is a news. Pachouri had assured us earlier that it could be done," said Nilotpal Basu of the CPI(M).

Bharadwaj said government employees had many avenues to protect their interests and that the government was not considering any move to make the right to strike applicable to government employees.

Apart from this, the law ministry is planning a series of amendments to all gender-biased laws. "A start was made with the Hindu Succession Act, 1956 and amending of the Sharda Act, 1929. We have called for a review of gender-biased laws. It is part of the common minimum programme of the government," he said.

Earlier, the National Commission for Women (NCW) had prepared a list of 22 laws, which were biased against women and had to be amended to be suitably gender sensitive. According to Bharadwaj, his ministry will be meeting the NCW and seek their views as well.

"Women should feel happy about the way the Hindu Succession Act has been amended, as well as the Sharda Act, against child marriage. In fact, for the first time, child marriage has been made a cognisable offence. Marriage officers will be appointed in all states to look into complaints of child marriage," he said.

Bharadwaj was firm in keeping out the Prime Minister from the purview of the Lok Pal Bill and that an accountability Bill for the judiciary was in the offing.

"The MPs and MLAs cannot be clubbed with judges, the judiciary is a different institution, and shall have a board of its peers to make it accountable," he added.

Bharadwaj promised that a lot of work will be done through his ministry, and that he would fix "everyone's accountability".