Ranchi, Sept. 10: More than 2,300 agitating secretariat employees today resolved to launch an indefinite relay hunger strike from this Friday to strengthen their protest even as the strike of the Sachivalaya Seva Sangh entered the 51st day.

“The state government is free to expel us all from service. We have been waiting for the past 12 years to frame our service condition. Though repeated assurances have made by the successive governments in Jharkhand over the past eight years, we are yet to see those promises being translated into reality. We will not relent till our demands are met,” Sachivalaya Seva Sangh spokesman Gauri Shankar Sharma said.

“A working committee meeting is slated tomorrow to chalk out the modalities of the indefinite hunger strike slated to commence from September 12,” Sharma said.

The employees under the banner of Sachivalaya Seva Sangh has been on an indefinite strike since July 22 to press for the formation of a separate secretariat cadre and pay, allowances, perks and service conditions at par with central secretariat services.

Before the strike, more than 3,000 files and records used to do the rounds of the state secretariat in a day. But since July 22, the movement of files has trickled down to a paltry 40 or even less, stalling development works. Even employees’ payments like medical advance are being held up.

“In 1996, the then Bihar government had promised to frame new service conditions for the state secretariat staff. Till 2000, no action was taken. After the formation of Jharkhand in 2000, successive state governments had formed two committees had examined our case,” the Sangh spokesperson said.