Manipur Government Offices Affected as Employees Continue Mass Casual Leave Protest
Imphal, June 24: Normal functioning in government offices across Manipur, including the State Secretariat, remained severely affected on Tuesday as thousands of government employees continued their mass casual leave agitation for the second consecutive day.
The protest, jointly organised by the Manipur Secretariat Services Association (MSSA), the Manipur Government Services Federation (MGSF), and the Manipur State Pensioners’ Union, resulted in low attendance across several departments, disrupting routine administrative work.
According to reports, only a limited number of senior officers, contractual employees, and essential staff attended offices, while a large section of the workforce stayed away in support of the agitation.
As part of the protest programme, employees staged a sit-in demonstration at Singjamei Chingamakhong in Imphal, demanding immediate attention to a series of long-pending service-related issues.
Speaking to reporters, MGSF President L. Sarat alleged that repeated representations and appeals submitted by employee organisations had not received a satisfactory response from the government, prompting the employees to intensify their movement.
The agitating organisations have placed an eight-point charter of demands before the state government. Key demands include raising the retirement age of government employees from 60 to 62 years, payment of Dearness Allowance (DA) and Dearness Relief (DR) at par with Central Government rates, and the constitution of a State Pay Commission to implement recommendations related to the Eighth Pay Commission.
The employees are also seeking the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), declaration of all Saturdays as government holidays, abolition of the practice of re-engaging retired officials, a freeze on fresh contractual appointments, and regularisation of contractual, casual, and muster roll workers currently serving in various departments.
Union leaders warned that if the government fails to address their demands, they may launch a broader non-cooperation movement followed by an indefinite cease-work strike, which could further impact government functioning across the state.
Meanwhile, the Manipur State Committee of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) extended its support to the agitation and urged the government to initiate dialogue with the employee organisations to find an amicable solution.
The ongoing protest has emerged as one of the most significant employee movements in recent months, with unions maintaining that their demands are aimed at improving the welfare and service conditions of government employees and pensioners.
As the agitation continues, attention remains focused on whether the state government will engage in negotiations to prevent further escalation and restore normal functioning in government offices.
