AdvertisementThe employees will be asked to explain why disciplinary action should not be initiated against them for proceeding on “unauthorised leave” on August 27.
The directive, issued today, comes as employee unions are set to chalk out their next course of action at a meeting scheduled for Sunday.
The latest direction follows an order issued by the Personnel Department last evening, asking all heads of departments to prepare lists of employees who had proceeded on “unauthorised leave”.
The call for the mass casual leave was given by the Joint Action Committee of Employees and Pensioners and other employee organisations.
Employee leaders have warned that instead of deterring the workforce, the move could further harden their stance against the government.
In a move that threatens to escalate the confrontation between the Punjab Government and its nearly 4 lakh employees, the state has directed all administrative secretaries and heads of departments to issue show-cause notices to lakhs of staffers who went on mass casual leave on August 27, in what was one of the biggest employee protests in recent years.
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The employees will be asked to explain why disciplinary action should not be initiated against them for proceeding on “unauthorised leave” on August 27. The directive, issued today, comes as employee unions are set to chalk out their next course of action at a meeting scheduled for Sunday.
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Employee leaders view the government’s move as an attempt to pressure them into returning to the negotiating table at a time when unions were weighing the possibility of intensifying their agitation.
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“Our leave was not unauthorised. They are free to issue notices and we will give them reply. All issues will be discussed by leaders of more than 60 unions at a meeting in Ludhiana on Sunday morning,” Sahil Sharma, a prominent union leader, told The Tribune.
The latest direction follows an order issued by the Personnel Department last evening, asking all heads of departments to prepare lists of employees who had proceeded on “unauthorised leave”. Sources said complete lists had not yet been submitted to the department.
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The protesting employees have been demanding the release of their pending dearness allowance (DA), restoration of the Old Pension Scheme and the resolution of other pending service-related issues.
The call for the mass casual leave was given by the Joint Action Committee of Employees and Pensioners and other employee organisations. Though Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann was scheduled to meet leaders of the protesting employees on August 27, he cancelled the meeting citing the employees’ decision to go ahead with their statewide protests instead of engaging in dialogue.
Today’s decision by the government to initiate action against the employees has not gone down well with various unions. Employee leaders have warned that instead of deterring the workforce, the move could further harden their stance against the government.
“On one hand, the government is sending intelligence officials to our residences with messages that it is ready to grant 18 per cent DA prospectively and release the arrears in three instalments, while on the other, it is threatening us with show-cause notices,” said Sukhchain Khera, convener of the Sanjha Mulazim Manch and a prominent employee leader.
Related: ‘Deduct CM Mann’s 1-day salary’: Punjab employees approach Governor over Mann’s no-show at August 27 meet
