Beat bandh, earn holiday

TT, Calcutta, Sept. 11: Mamata Banerjee today announced a day's compensatory casual leave for state government employees who had attended office during the September 2 bandh called by trade union associations, prompting questions about her claims of reviving work culture in Bengal.

"We'll give one compensatory casual leave to state government employees who attended office on the day of the bandh," the chief minister told a convention of the Trinamul-led state government employees' union at the Netaji Indoor Stadium.

"I'm really happy that employees have revived the work culture. On the day of the bandh, 95 per cent attendance was recorded against a normal attendance of 91 per cent."

The announcement comes at a time state government employees have been sulking over the growing difference between their dearness allowance (DA) and that of central government employees.

The chief minister also announced a 10 per cent hike in DA - an allowance based on the price index to offset the impact of inflation - for state government employees with effect from January 2016. This should narrow the gap with central employees' current DA to 44 per cent.

With the Centre providing 119 per cent DA, a central employee earns at least Rs 219 for every Rs 100 from his basic salary. The corresponding figure for a state government employee is Rs 165.

Not all state government employees appeared fully satisfied with Mamata's announcements.

"By the time we get the 10 per cent DA in January, the Centre would have announced another instalment of DA. So the difference will remain more or less the same," a finance department clerk said.

The support of state government employees is crucial for the ruling party not just because they number over 8 lakh but because they play a key role in conducting polls, which are due in Bengal in about eight months.

A minister said: "The chief minister tried her best to woo the state government employees keeping in mind next year's polls."

Mamata rolled out a slew of other benefits too, her promises ranging from the establishment of a new pay commission to granting leave travel allowance for trips to certain foreign countries beyond Saarc.

The state BJP accused Mamata of violating the model code of conduct by announcing the DA increase and threatened to complain to the state election commission.

State BJP vice-president Asim Sarkar said: "The chief minister's announcement came today after the election process for polls to three municipal bodies was declared earlier this week."

Mamata had played the holiday card earlier too, giving state government employees at least four extra holidays annually since coming to power.

"I have always tried to ensure a longer holiday for you. I actually declare holidays in a way that you get eight to nine days' leave during the Durga Puja," she said today, amid applause.

Mamata, officials said, reminded her audience that she had introduced holidays on Sasthi and the day before Lakshmi Puja (or also the previous day, if it doesn't fall on a weekend) to ensure a continuous holiday.

Congress MLA Manas Bhuniya, however, asked how today's announcement squared with the chief minister's claims about having improved work culture by forcing government employees to report for work during bandhs.

"Circulars were issued before the bandhs on August 18 and September 2, warning employees that salaries would be deducted for absence and they would even face a break in service," Bhuniya said.

"But today she declared a holiday (compensatory casual leave) for working on a bandh day. And for today's meeting, over 20,000 employees skipped work. Is this work culture?"

Officials said that implementation of the compensatory leave Mamata announced today could be open to legal challenge.

A government employee is allowed a compensatory casual leave by convention - although there are no written rules providing for them - if he or she works during a scheduled leave.

For example, employees manning the disaster management control room during the Puja can take compensatory casual leave.

"But a bandh is not a scheduled holiday. I don't know how the employees who reported for work on the day of the bandh can be given compensatory leave," an official said.

"The government cannot declare a bandh day as a scheduled holiday after the Supreme Court declared bandhs illegal."

Another official said the announcement made it clear that work culture had not improved at all.

Under Left Front rule, no circulars were issued asking employees to work during bandhs but those who didn't had to apply for casual leave. "But now the employees would have an additional leave," the official said.