Kochi: Criticising the Kerala government’s decision to pay salary without any cut to employees who took part in the trade union strike on 8 and 9 January, the High Court stayed the order yesterday.
The government order, which decided not to declare dies-non for the strike called by joint trade unions, had stated that the employees can apply for any leave that they are entitled for against the two days.
G Balagopalan, a retired government employee, had filed a PIL challenging the government order granting eligible leave to employees to mark the days of absence as leave the days they had taken part in the nation wide general strike.
A division bench, comprising Chief Justice Hrishikesh Roy and Justice A K Jayasankaran Nambiar, asked the government not to encourage such agitations and directed the government to file a response to the petition before the court.
“According to our prima facie opinion, the strike in question was not a legally permissible one. Even if the strike was legal and justified, there cannot be a blanket order by the Government by which the employees would be made to feel that the strike was legal and justified and that those employees who failed to turn up for work are entitled to eligible leave including casual leave,” said the court order.