Mamata Banerjee announces one-day holiday for govt staff who shunned strike call

The agriculture department in Writers building at work during the bandh in Kolkata on Friday. Partha Paul

ENS, Kolkata, September 3, 2016: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Friday announced one-day holiday to all state government employees who shunned the nation-wide strike called by central trade unions and attended the office.

The employees will get the holiday during Durga Puja in October. Terming the day-long strike as a “big failure” in the state, Mamata claimed government offices recorded 95 per cent attendance.

“The people of Bengal have rejected the bandh. I salute the people of Bengal. The attendance of the workforce was at 95 per cent today. Government officers attended their office.

“Those who decided to work today, in spite of the bandh, I will give them a gift in form of an extra holiday during Durga Puja,” Mamata told mediapersons in Dubai.

The CM was on way to Italy on a week-long visit to Rome and Germany to attend Mother Teresa’s canonisation ceremony and meet potential investors. A 12-member official delegation and a group of industrialists are also accompanying her.

Meanwhile, with many commenting on her plans to “pass a law to ban bandhs” and her own past as a political streetfighter, Mamata said: “A number of the issues that they (trade unions) have raised, are ones that I support. We understand the trade union sentiment. But bandh is not the right form of protest.”

Mamata’s remarks evoked a sharp reaction from CPM with its state secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra saying that the CM was still “haunted” by the strike.

“Let d CM clarify whether Singur is a festival or burial? A days leave for man day’s lost is work culture? D strike haunts CM to Dubai even,” Mishra said in a tweet.