Ordinance on strikes soon

MUMBAI, FEB 18: The State Cabinet today decided to recommend that Governor Dr P C Alexander promulgate an ordinance to amend the Essential Services Act, that will empower it to declare as illegal any strike in organisations providing essential services.

The Governor is expected to promulgate the ordinance next week. The amended Act provides that any strike by employees in hospitals and organisations providing services like public transport, LPG, milk, water, electricity, will be illegal.

Last week, Chief Minister Narayan Rane had said, “If employees offering these services go on strike, public life gets affected seriously. However, the State Government does not have the power or act to curb such a menace and hence, the new act will be introduced. The act provides that an offender will be charged with a fine of Rs 200 and six months’ imprisonment.” The Cabinet also decided to set up a welfare fund for families of Maharashtra State Electricity Board (MSEB) employees. This was a long-pending demand by theemployees, who had even resorted to an agitation to press for the same. The fund will be set up on contributions from MSEB employees, the Board and the State Government. The money deposited in this fund will be utilised for pension — a maximum of Rs 5,000 a month — to families of MSEB employees who lose their life in the course of duty.