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Staff strike set to paralyse Haryana
Tribune News Service

Tough days ahead Plan your bus journey: Around 18,000 drivers and other Haryana Roadways staff will be on four-day strike from Monday. This is bound to affect nearly 12 lakh commuters The protest is against the government move to give permits to private bus operators on over 3,500 routes ...and on Tuesday: Employees of state government departments, including electricity, water, HUDA, education, and civil administration, will be on three-day strike They want regularisation of their services and an end to privatisation of government departments

Chandigarh, January 19
Haryana is set to witness a four-day shutdown from tomorrow with most trade unions announcing to go on a strike after talks between state minister Randeep Singh Surjewala and employees’ representatives broke down on Sunday.

Almost all public services will be hit by the stir. Commuters are bound to have a harrowing time as the roadways employees have announced that they will not allow buses to be run in the state. District administrations across the state have taken preventive measures to minimise harassment to the people. A senior government functionary said the Indian National Trade Union had announced to disassociate itself from the strike.

Government’s last-ditch efforts to persuade the striking employees failed as talks ended in a stalemate at Kaithal. “The government is adamant on allotting bus permits to private operators and it was not acceptable to us at any cost. We have decided to go on strike from tomorrow. The four-day strike may turn into an indefinite one,” said Dalbir Nehra, employees’ representative.

While the Haryana Roadways employees have announced a four-day strike, employees of other state government departments, including electricity, water, HUDA, education, forests and other offices, have decided to observe a three-day strike from Tuesday.

The government said arrangements had been made to minimise the impact of the strike by putting contractual staff on duty. They would, however, be able to run only skeletal services as the number of contractual employees was very small compared to lakhs of employees who would observe strike.

The maximum impact will be on commuters as 18,000 drivers, conductors and other staff of the Haryana Roadways, except the desk staff, will participate in the strike. Around 12 lakh commuters travel by Haryana Roadways buses every day.

The roadways employees are protesting against the government’s move to give permits to private bus operators on over 3,500 routes. Other employees are demanding regularisation of services and scrapping moves to privatise various wings of government departments.

The strike has been called jointly by the Sarva Karamchaari Sangh, Haryana, and the Haryana Karamchaari Mahasangh. All employees unions of government departments, municipal bodies and boards are affiliated to either of the two.