Local bodies’ staff across country launch protest

Gaighat/Sunsari, December 17

Employees at different local bodies across the country have started agitation against what they call ‘discriminatory’ Civil Servant Adjustment Act recently effected by the federal government.

In Udayapur, regular services at all eight local bodies halted today due to the agitation.

“The act is unfair as it has proposed a host of facilities for civil servants but ignored us completely by keeping us in the ‘other staff’ category, which is why we had to agitate,” said Local Body Staff Association Udayapur Chairperson Bhupadhwoj Rayamajhi, who vowed to continue the agitation until the ‘mistake’ was rectified and equal facilities were ensured to employees at the local level on par with civil servants.

The federal government, had, on December 8, floated the act to facilitate the adjustment of civil servants.

Similarly, in Dharan Sub-metropolis, Sunsari, staffers started agitating under a joint struggle mobilisation committee. “The act has not only dented the morale of employees working at the local level but also promoted discrimination against certain sections of employees. We had to agitate to bring home this discrimination while bringing the act,” said the Local Joint Agitation Mobilisation Committee Coordinator Khagendra Khatiwada.

“The act brought through an ordinance has the provision for facilities such as increase in grade or the likes of civil servants, but has kept mum in our case, which is unfair,” he added.

In Saptari too, protest was held today when agitating employees at the local bodies picketed their offices by boycotting work from 10:00am itself today.

The district has a total of 10 local bodies and the agitation was staged in all local bodies. Speaking about the agitation, Agitation Mobilisation Committee adviser Umesh Kumar Yadav said the agitation wouldn’t stop until their concerns were addressed.

Meanwhile, with the staff taking on the agitation, service delivery at those local levels were affected today.

(Staffers of Triyuga Municipality protesting against Civil Servant Adjustment Act, in Udayapur, on Monday.