KOLHAPUR: Government offices and schools across the city and district wore a deserted look on Tuesday, the first day of the three-day strike called by the state government employees central federation.Around 17 lakh Maharashtra government employees have gone on strike over various demands, including implementation of the seventh pay commission recommendations.More than one lakh employees from Kolhapur district stayed off duty. However, gazetted officers stayed away from the strike but many of them went on leave.Hundreds of government employees participated in a protest rally from Bindu Chowk here to Town Hall. Addressing the rally, Federation joint secretary Anil Lavekar said the government has repeatedly failed to implement the seventh pay panel recommendations."The government on Monday declared that the salary hike will be from January 1. However, the implementation is uncertain the date for the general elections may be advanced and the code of conduct will come into force," he said."We have been making the salary hike demand for the last two years and nothing has been done so far."The employees associated with over 39 organisations attended the rally here. The employees with departments such as agriculture, revenue, public works department, primary teachers union, land survey, rural administration, government press and zilla parishad participated in the march.The other major demands of the employees are five-day week, two years' leave to women employees before and after pregnancy to take care of the newborn, increase in the retirement age from 58 years to 60 years, filling up of all vacant posts, strict legislation to thwart incidents of manhandling of government employees, a halt to the contractual hiring system and grants to unaided schools.

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