Goa Govt to invoke ESMA against striking employees, talks fail

Panaji, Jun 16 (UNI) The Goa government decided to act tough by invoking the provisions of the Essential Services Maintainance Act (ESMA) against the agitating employees, whose indefinite strike entered fourth the day today, paralysing the state administration.

''Though we came down to concede the financial demands to certain extent, the Goa Government Employees Association had not relented. Their fresh demand of fixing the sixth pay commission pay scales on the basis of the agreed upgraded pay scales is far-fetched and irrational,'' chief minister Digambar Kamat told mediapersons after a cabinet meeting.

All the public counters and essential services would now be manned by the police and the employees, regular or those on contract and pre-employment scheme or probation, would be terminated and prosecuted if they fail to attend to duty from tomorrow, chief secretary J P Singh announced.

The Association, representing about 45,000 government employees, had been observing indefinite pen-down strike since Friday last demanding parity in wages which, according to government, would cost Rs 100 crore to the exchequer.

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