A writ petition was filed on Friday before the Kerala High Court seeking a directive to the government to ensure compulsory attendance of government servants on the general strike days of March 28 and 29 and initiate disciplinary proceedings as per service rules against those employees who abstain from work.
In his petition, Chandrachoodan Nair S. of Thiruvananthapuram also sought to declare the strike unconstitutional. The petitioner pointed out that a Division Bench had quashed an order regularising the absence on strike days as eligible with leave and salary. The Bench had also directed the government to verify the attendance register and take action in this regard in accordance with the law.
However, no steps had been taken against those who availed themselves of the quashed regularisation order. Instead, the government had extended unbridled support to the strike on March 28 and 29 by not declaring dies non or even mandating compulsory attendance of government servants.
The inaction on the part of the government in issuing orders mandating the attendance of employees in offices, except for exceptional situations, would amount to support/ encouragement to general strike., the petitioner said.
The petitioner said the impact of the general strike on the common people, including traders, businessman, street vendors and the poorer sections of society, would be beyond imagination. It would severely affect the economy of the nation, including the GDP, which was on the path of recovery. The strike by government employees would further aggravate the situation.
