Strike by Odisha govt employees now a punishable offence

Bhubaneswar: Employees of the Odisha government will be penalized if they henceforth resort to strike threatening the safety of people as the State Assembly passed the Essential Services (Maintenance) Amendment Bill 2020 today.

As per the new rule, if people’s safety is affected due to the strike of the State government employees, action will be taken against the agitators. For inciting the agitation illegally, anyone could face one year jail and pay Rs 5,000 fine or both.

Also, the amendment bill expanded its purview and included the Fire Services, Forest, Excise, Prison Reforms and Electronics and Information and Communication Departments.