HC stays govt order to grant leave with pay to employees

Kochi: The Kerala High Court Tuesday stayed a government decision to grant leave with pay to government employees who failed to turn up for work on January 8 and 9, the days when joint trade unions had observed a 48-hour strike.

The high court criticised the government decision to provide salary without any cut to employees who participated in the strike and said the administration's move amounts to encouraging the employees to participate in such agitations.

Considering a PIL filed by G Balagopalan, a retired government employee, challenging the government order allowing the employees to mark the days of absence as leave, a division bench, comprising Chief Justice Hrishikesh Roy and Justice A K Jayasankaran Nambiar, directed the government to present its view on the matter before the court.

The order, which decided not to declare dies-non for the strike called by joint trade unions, had stated that the employees can apply for any leave that they are entitled for against the two days.