Calcutta, Sept.7: The government and the Left-controlled government employees’ association, Co-ordination Committee, appear to be feeling for each other’s response on the issue of puja bonus.

Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee today said a “positive” decision on this year’s bonus would be taken soon.

Co-ordination Committee general secretary Smarajit Roychowdhury said the chief minister had asked him during a meeting a couple of weeks ago to ascertain whether government employees, schoolteachers and panchayat workers would be ready to forgo the bonus because the government was going through a crunch.

In the negotiation of sorts, Roychowdhury apparently ruled out accepting the proposition saying the government employees were placed no better. “However, it was not a conclusive meeting and not the government’s final decision that the chief minister was telling me about,” the Co-ordination Committee leader said.

“The issue was discussed with the finance minister as well. Though we are aware of the government’s financial position and the difficult times it is going through, the same holds good for the government employees, who are not going through the best of times… The government must be considerate and not deprive its employees,” Roychowdhury said.

With the Left-backed employees’ association going public with statements in which the government’s “intention” to offer bonus was coming under the scanner, Bhattacharjee promised a “positive” stand on the bonus. However, he did not make a final announcement, and said a decision is likely in the next few days after talks with finance minister Asim Dasgupta.

“I have spoken on the bonus issue with the finance minister once and the matter would be taken up again… you will come to know about the decision in the next two to four days,” Bhattacharjee said.

The government had slashed the festival bonus from Rs 2,000 to Rs 1,000 in 2002.