Bengal govt employees call complete work boycott over unpaid DA arrears despite SC directive

Several government employees’ organisations in West Bengal have called for a complete work boycott on Friday amid the ongoing dispute over payment of Dearness Allowance (DA). The protest has been organised under the banner of the Struggling Joint Forum, which accused the state government of delaying the implementation of a recent directive by the Supreme Court of India regarding DA arrears.

According to the forum, the Supreme Court had directed the state government to pay 25 percent of the pending DA for the period between 2008 and 2019 by March 31. The court also stated that the DA for state government employees should gradually be brought on par with that of central government employees and that the arrears pending since 2008 should be cleared.

Joint Forum convenor Bhaskar Ghosh said the state government has not taken any concrete steps to release the arrears. Instead, the government has approached the Supreme Court again seeking additional time until December to make the payment, prompting the forum to proceed with the protest.

The boycott is expected to involve a wide range of employees, including state government staff, teachers from government and government-aided schools, workers of municipal corporations, municipalities and panchayat bodies, as well as employees of various state-run undertakings. Organisers claimed the action could become the largest such protest in the past fifteen years.

Meanwhile, the state government has issued a notification making attendance mandatory on Friday and stating that no casual leave or other forms of leave will be granted on that day. It also warned that employees absent without valid reasons could face break in service, loss of wages for the day, and possible disciplinary action, with related procedures expected to be completed by March 31.