The state government will bring an amendment to the West Bengal Service Rules (Duties and Obligation) Act to withdraw the full trade union right of the state government employees in the next session of the West Bengal Assembly. State labour minister Purnendu Bose said that the labour department would make a proposal in this regard in the state Cabinet soon.

Earlier on Tuesday, Mr Bose had told that the state government was planning to withdraw the full trade union right of the state government employees which was given by the then Left Front government in 1981 by amending the West Bengal Service Rules (Duties and Obligation) Act. Almost all the state government employees’ bodies, barring the Trinamul Congress-backed United State Government Employees’ Federation (USGEF), are vehemently protesting against this plan.
“I stick to what I said yesterday. The state government employees can form associations, but those should not be trade unions. The state government employees cannot be affiliated to any political party. They are crying for a right which they should not have according to their service rules,” Mr Bose announced.
He also threatened that the state government might take action against the state government employees if they join the industrial strike on February 28 called by all major Central trade unions. The CPI(M)-backed state government employees’ body, the Co-ordination Committee, has decided to join the strike. “According to the West Bengal Government Employees Service Conduct Rule, 1956, joining such a strike is illegal for the state government employees. They have to inform the state finance department before joining a strike. The finance department then forms a committee to consider their application and if the committee approves, then only they can go for strike,” Mr Bose said.