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Key Points

Odisha's Revenue Minister Suresh Pujari has issued a stern warning to over 10,000 district revenue employees who are currently on mass leave. The minister emphasized that strikes should be a last resort and urged employees to return to work immediately to prevent service disruption. The government is prepared to enforce strict measures, including potential job abolishment and salary withholding. Employee demands include cadre restructuring, pay increases, and enhanced health insurance.

Key Points: Odisha Revenue Minister Warns Striking Employees Over Mass Leave

  • Over 10,000 revenue employees on mass leave across 30 districts
  • Government threatens 'No Work, No Pay' rule
  • Employees demand cadre restructuring and better benefits
  • ACS directs collectors to issue show-cause notices
2 min read

Odisha Minister urges striking District Revenue employees to return to work

Suresh Pujari urges district revenue workers to return, warns of potential job cuts and service disruption in Odisha

"In a democratic setup, strikes should be the last resort and dialogue is always the best way forward. - Suresh Pujari, Odisha Revenue Minister"

Bhubaneswar, Aug 13

Odisha Revenue Minister Suresh Pujari on Wednesday appealed to the District Revenue Ministerial Employees to call off their mass leave strike and return to their work immediately.

The minister noted that the Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) of the Revenue Department has directed all Collectors to reject leave applications, treat absences as unauthorised, and enforce the "No Work, No Pay" rule.

Minister Pujari warned that if employees do not return to duty, their roles could be abolished, and the Revenue Department may consider modifying its software to reduce dependency on them.

The government appealed to employees to resume work immediately to ensure that poor citizens are not deprived of revenue services.

Revenue Minister Pujari said that in a democratic setup, strikes should be the last resort and dialogue is always the best way forward.

The proposal for restructuring the revenue employees' cadre has already been sent to the General Administration (GA) Department for a final decision. He cautioned that mass leave is not a healthy sign, as it deprives the people of Odisha of essential revenue services.

Over 10,000 revenue ministerial employees across all 30 districts have been on mass leave since Monday over a charter of 10 demands.

The employees alleged that they had earlier staged a protest wearing black badges in July.

The state government had then assured them that their demands would be fulfilled within a month. Their demands include restructuring the revenue employees' cadre, an increase in the initial pay, health insurance of Rs 20 lakh, 100 per cent promotion in Odisha Revenue Service for the Revenue Ministerial Employees, among others.

Earlier, the Revenue Department ACS Deoranajan Kumar Singh directed the District Collectors to issue show-cause notices against those absent without authorisation.

The salaries of the employees will be withheld for the period of unauthorised absence. The unauthorised leave period will also be treated as a break in service and recorded in the service book.

Singh also stated that the non-availability of field-level revenue personnel has disrupted key public services in the state and caused significant inconvenience to the public.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rahul R
This "no work no pay" threat shows government's arrogance. Employees have been patient for months. My cousin works in revenue dept - their demands are genuine. Government should honor previous commitments!
S
Sunil U
While employees have right to demand, mass leave affecting public services isn't justified. Common people are suffering - land registries stuck, certificates delayed. Both parties need to talk like mature democracy.
A
Ananya R
The software modification threat is concerning! Shows how govt wants to automate everything without caring for job security. What about families dependent on these jobs? 🤔
V
Varun X
In Odisha, revenue staff are backbone of rural administration. My village's land dispute is pending because of this strike. Government must resolve this ASAP - farmers are worst affected!
K
Kiran H
Both sides at fault here. Government made false promises in July. But employees should have given more time instead of mass leave. Common man always suffers in these power games 😞
M
Michael C
Interesting to see how Indian labor disputes play out differently than in West. The "break in service" penalty seems harsh, but understandable when essential services are affected. Hope for peaceful resolution.

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