UP govt employees call off strike

Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government employees called off their strike on Friday hours after the Allahabad High Court declared the protest "illegal" and ordered it to initiate disciplinary action against them and their unions.

Senior leaders of the striking employees' union, Dinesh Chandra Sharma and Hari Kishore Tiwari, said in a statement on Friday morning that the strike was being called off.

The court had on Thursday prohibited the employees and unions from going on strike or inciting any employee. It had directed senior officials of various departments to record the employees' attendance and videograph their agitation.

A section of the state government employees had gone on strike Wednesday for the restoration of an old pension scheme, prompting the government to invoke ESMA and ban the protest.