The Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government on Friday, May 22, invoked the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) for the next six months, which bans strikes in all corporations and departments covered under it till the stipulated time.

The Act gives the police the right to arrest anybody without a warrant if they are found violating the provisions of the Act.

Employees in a long list of ‘essential services’ like post and telegraph, railway, airport and port operations are prohibited from going on strike under the essential services Act.

Any person who instigates, or incites other persons to take part in a strike which is illegal shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees, or with both.

It was invoked after taking permission from Governor Anandiben Patel with a notification issued by the Additional Chief Secretary, Mukul Singhal.

‘The Governor is pleased to prohibit, for a period of six months from the date of publication of this notification in the Gazette, strikes in any public service in connection with the affairs of the state of Uttar Pradesh and any service under a corporation owned or controlled by state Government and any service under a local authority’, the notification read.

The Uttar Pradesh government had suspended payments of at least seven allowances and specifically, last month decided to put on hold the Dearness Allowance increase for its employees, which was reportedly due from January 1, 2020.

According to reports, the possibility of being faced with unexpected protests has forced the government to invoke the Act.

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