Bengaluru: Around 6.40 lakh Karnataka State government employees will remain off duty on Thursday, June 2, urging the State government to meet their long-pending demands ranging from implementation of seventh pay commission recommendations at par with central government’s employees to regularisation of workers under contract basis working since many years.

The strike called by government employees’ association is expected to paralyse the normal day to day life across the state. The drivers of government vehicles are also in the clout of strikes.

Speaking to NewsKarnataka.com, B P Manje Gowda, president of Karnataka State Government Employees’ Association said that the association had put forth its demands with the State government authorities concerned in 2014 itself, but in vain.

The chief minister had earlier promised to make a budgetary allocation of Rs 5,000 crore for this purpose but nothing has been done so far. “Hence, we have no option left but to go on strike,” Gowda said.

Adding further, Gowda said that there is a huge difference in the salaries of the Central government employees and the State government employees.

The proposed protest will be peaceful and there will be no rallies or protest meetings, he added.

The employees working with the Bengaluru Electricity Supply Company, Bengaluru Water Supply, Sewerage Board, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike and others have extended their support to the one-day strike called by the Karnataka State Government Employees Association.

Meanwhile, the State government has warned the employees, who abstain from work will be prosecuted without any mercy.