MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government on Wednesday threatened the 17 lakh-odd state government employees who are on an indefinite strike demanding the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme with the invocation of the Maharashtra Essential Services Maintenance Act (MESMA) against them.
The Act empowers the government to punish errant employees with imprisonment for a term that may extend to one year, or with a fine that may extend to Rs 3,000, or with both. “The same shall be applicable to any person who instigates or incites another person to participate in the strike,” reads the law.
The state government had on Tuesday tabled and passed the Maharashtra Essential Services Maintenance Act, 2023 (MESMA). The Maharashtra Essential Services Maintenance Act, 2017, was in effect for five years, from February 1, 2018, till February 28, 2023. Now, from March 1 till Tuesday, the state had no law to deal with a strike or stop work agitation called by employees.
The said Act will be applicable for the next five years. Local government authorities have been asked by CM Eknath Shinde to take a call over invoking MESMA against the employees who are not attending to essential services like health and schools. The strike has hit government-run hospitals due to the absence of nurses, ward boys, technicians and helpers, with patients not getting the requisite treatment or being able to avail of services like MRIs and CT scans.
The employees of Mumbai-based Sir JJ Hospital on Wednesday refused to rejoin work and set fire to the notices issued to them by the state government to do so. A similar notice was also issued by the Aurangabad district collector to staffers working in local hospitals and health centres. The primary and secondary teachers also refused to resume duties, being firm in their demand for the restoration of the OPS.
Most class III and IV govt employees in the state are on strike, while class I and II are expected to join it on March 26. The striking employees are citing the example of Congress-run governments in Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan where the Old Pension Scheme is in operation. “We deserve a decent life after retirement. We want social security. The Old Pension Scheme should be implemented as early as possible. We are not afraid of MESMA, let the government do anything, we are firm on our demand,” defiant state government employees said.