THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The functioning of the State Secretariat, the nerve centre of the government and the top echelons of bureaucracy, on Monday was paralysed by the pro-UDF secretariat employees unions’ decision to go on leave en masse to protest against the LDF Government’s move to include the Secretariat employees also in the ranks of the proposed Kerala Administrative Service (KAS).
While the pro-UDF Secretariat Action Council claimed the backing of nearly 80 per cent of the employees,who availed themselves of leave to express their support, the pro-CPM Kerala Secretariat Employees’ Association said 48 per cent of the employees had recorded their attendance.
However, the General Administration Department (GAD),which records the punching details, could not provide the same as there was none to attend calls.
Secretariat Action Council convener J Benzy told ‘Express’ 80 per cent of the employees expressed their support for the protest by taking leave. “Even when 30 per cent of the pro-UDF employees were posted outside the Secretariat, the fact that 80 per cent of them chose to participate showed that the strike was near total,” he said.
According to the Secretariat Action Council convener, the move to include the Secretariat employees in the KAS ranks would lead to the loss of around 200 promotion posts. However, Secretariat Employees’ Association general secretary Bijukuttan said the pro-UDF organisations were resorting to brinksmanship even when there was an opportunity for them to convince the Committee, set up for framing the KAS Rules, of their stand.
Meanwhile, the LDF Government has already issued orders granting in-principle nod for the KAS. It has also been decided to address the complaints of the employees at the meeting of the Secretary-level Committee. The pro-UDF organisations, though, were of the view that such a meeting would not help to address their issues as the government was unlikely to make a climbdown.