Plea Before Bombay HC Requesting Immediate Withdrawal Of The Ongoing Strike By Maharashtra State Government Employees

A plea was filed before the Bombay High Court requesting immediate withdrawal of the ongoing strike by Maharashtra state government employees, including teaching and medical staff. The plea was presented to a division bench consisting of Acting Chief Justice SV Gangapurwala and Justice Sandeep Marne for urgent listing. The bench has agreed to consider the plea for interim relief tomorrow.

Since March 14, numerous employees in Maharashtra have been on an indefinite strike demanding the reinstatement of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), which the State had terminated in 2005. As per reports, the strike has resulted in the disruption of health services at government hospitals, schools, and colleges. Additionally, it has also impacted government offices in rural regions.

In the plea, Lawyer Gunratan Sadavarte noted that public health service employees in state-run hospitals, sanitation workers, and teachers were also taking part in the strike.

He informed the Court that due to the strike, patients in government-run hospitals were facing difficulties, and people requiring documentation from various departments were unable to obtain them, causing delays and inconvenience.

The application also highlighted that the timing of the strike coincided with the ongoing class 10 and 12 board examinations.

In light of the situation, Sadavarte submitted the current plea in a pending public interest litigation of 2014 where the Court had expressed the hope that no more strikes would occur, causing hardship to patients.

While he expressed support for the employees' right to protest, Sadavarte contended that such strikes should not adversely affect citizens and students.

Furthermore, Sadavarte pointed out that Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's administration had promised to establish a committee to address the employees' demands. Nonetheless, the employees chose to embark on an "illegal strike" without first examining the government's "positive/affirmative steps."

Sadavarte argued that the ongoing strike by Maharashtra state government employees, including teaching and medical staff, is in violation of the Maharashtra Essential Services Maintenance Act, 2023 (MESMA).

As a result, Sadavarte filed an application before the High Court, requesting the court to direct the employees to end their strike.