Bengal commerce minister stands by labour minster's move

Kolkata: In defence of state Labour minister Purnendu Bose's move to stop government employees' trade union activities during working hours, West Bengal commerce minister Partha Chatterjee on Saturday said that government staff had no trade union rights.

''Government employees do not enjoy any trade union right. Their job is to provide service to the people. While the government employees have their democratic rights, people too have their rights to receive service from them'', Chatterjee said.

Referring to a recent demonstration by the Left and Congress-affiliated employee unions inside the state secretariat, Chatterjee said such programmes were held without any permission.

''Government will not tolerate such activities. These employees have no right to vitiate working atmosphere. If anybody has anything to demand, they can come to us. If they come in hundreds, it is not possible to discuss. Two or three may come to the discussion table,'' he said.

The minister had a dig at the Left-backed employees' body for wasting mandays by holding agitations and demonstrations inside Writers' Buildings.

He said as per Trade Union Act, 1926 not a single employees organisation in the state was registered at present.

''I am not moving a single inch from my stand that government employees enjoy no full trade union rights and it is to be kept in mind that Writers' Buildings is not a factory where political processions or any activities other than work are allowed,'' Bose said.

He said the West Bengal government servants' conduct rules, 1959, say no employee enjoys full trade union rights. He said he would submit his proposals to the state cabinet to revoke a section of the West Bengal government servants' conduct rules of 1959, for approval. ''My idea is to restore full work culture and to stop, once and for all, processions, political slogans and all sorts of activities which stall normal working environment in a government office,'' he said.