West Bengal: Employees Launch Three-Day Protest Against Mamata Government, Demand DA Parity With Centre

In a bid for equal dearness allowance (DA) with their central government counterparts, members of the Sangrami Joutha Mancha, an organisation representing West Bengal government employees, have initiated a three-day sit-in demonstration near the state secretariat.

Despite Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's recent announcement of an additional four percent DA for state government employees from January, the Sangrami Joutha Mancha argues that a substantial 36 percentage points disparity still exists between the DA provided to state and central government employees.

The Calcutta High Court, acknowledging the right to peaceful protest, has granted conditional permission for the demonstration, emphasising the need to avoid disruptions to traffic and public inconvenience.

However, as reported by Moneycontrol, the court has set limitations, including a cap on the number of participants at 300, and empowered the commissioner of police, Howrah, to impose additional necessary restrictions to maintain order and public safety.

This move by the West Bengal government employees reflects an ongoing concern for fair compensation and parity in benefits, adding to the broader discourse on the rights and demands of the state's workforce.