After a series of deliberations it had with the government officials in New Delhi, the decision by the Joint Council of Action (JCA) of the Central government employees to go on an indefinite strike from March 1 was deferred, on 15 February 2006.

The decision to withdraw the strike was taken after the Central government agreed to set up the Sixth Pay Commission for its employees. The government has also agreed to formulate the terms of reference and the modalities of the Commission in consultation with employees` unions.

About 35 lakh Central government employees working in the Railways, Defence (Civilian), Income Tax, Postal, Audit & Accounts, Central Secretariat and other affiliates of the Confederation of the Central Government Employees had decided to go on indefinite strike pressing the 20-point charter of demands including the immediate constitution of the Pay Commission in order to revise their pay scales. The strike notice served by the JCA on February 7 also demanded the setting up of a permanent wage review board; the merger of 50 per cent DA with basic pay with effect from 2002; and the withdrawal of new contributory pension scheme.

The employees had given their opinion for strike through a secret ballot held at all government offices by the respective employees` unions. About 10.68 lakh employees of the unions affiliated to the All India Railwaymen`s Association (AIFR) and National Federation of Indian Railwaymen (NFIR) participated in the mandatory ballot held on January 3 and over 96 per cent of them voted in favour of the strike. In the production units of the Defence and other establishments, 3.5 lakh employees participated in the strike ballot, out of which 96 per cent voted in favour of an indefinite strike.

“We are happy with the agreements reached with the government on various issues”, states a press release issued by the JCA. According to the release, the government has agreed to consider the implementation of pending arbitration awards to the workers. Satisfied with the agreements, the JCA has decided to give more time to the government to decide on the pending issues. Meanwhile, it has also decided to meet once in every two months to review the progress and to take appropriate action.