Employees of 27 municipal corporations in Maharashtra, including Pimpri-Chinchwad and Pune, who had gone on a strike demanding the implementation of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), resumed work on Thursday but under protest. State government employees, however, continued their strike.
Baban Zinjurde, president of Pimpri-Chinchwad Mahapalika Karmachari Mahasangh and the state body of civic employees, confirmed that after striking work for three days, employees in all 27 municipal corporations had resumed work. “However, they are working by sporting black ribbons around their arms,” he said.
Meanwhile, in Pune Zilla Parishad, students, who are part of the ‘earn and learn’ scheme in Pune, managed the show as most employees stayed away from work. “We have over 6,000 employees. Of these, just over 4,000 have joined the strike,” Pune Zilla Parishad CEO Ayush Prasad told The Indian Express.
Prasad said there are 13 students who are handling the work. “Of 13, one is from the Mahatma Gandhi fellowship, while 12 are from other ‘earn and learn’ schemes of the Zilla Parishad. They are from different talukas. They have been placed in different departments. In my office, there are two students. From handling files, communication and arranging video conferences to emergency responses, they are looking after everything,” he said.