Employees campaigning for higher allowances turned Writers’ Buildings into a cauldron of protest for the second consecutive day, flouting almost every rule that Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has introduced to instil office decorum.

Around 500 employees owing allegiance to 10 anti-Left unions assembled during the tiffin break, starting 1.30pm, and shouted slogans for an hour in defiance of a circular that had laid down the dos and don’ts for all “informal” staff meetings at Writers’.

“We will continue our agitation unless our demands are met. We will not seek permission to hold meetings and demonstrations because it is our right,” said Shyamal Mitra, the convenor of the Mahakaran Sangram Committee that is leading the protest.

That should sound familiar to the chief minister, whose recent remark against bandhs had invited a stern reminder from the CPM politburo that every citizen had the “right to strike”.

Chief secretary Amit Kiran Deb had issued a circular on Wednesday, specifying that employees could meet informally in small numbers during the tiffin break but not shout slogans or cause any kind of disturbance. It also reminded government staff that working hours were from 10am to 5.30pm with a 30-minute break in between.

Some officers of the finance department had been allegedly assaulted by a group of employees on Tuesday, prompting finance minister Asim Dasgupta to say that the work culture in government offices needed to be improved with strict measures.

On Thursday, over 400 employees shouted slogans and also clashed with police. They heckled deputy commissioner (central) Damayanti Sen when she ordered the police to prevent them from entering the restricted zone.

The police were restrained on Friday, but the protesters weren’t. Leaders of unions affiliated to the Trinamul Congress and Intuc said they wouldn’t rest until the government paid dearness allowance and bonus to employees on a par with central government staff.

Home secretary Ashok Mohan Chakrabarti talked tough, too. “The government has taken Thursday’s incident seriously. An FIR has been lodged against some people at Hare Street police station. Showcause notices have been slapped on some employees.”

But the protesters said they weren’t worried about being placed under suspension. “We are not worried about any action. Our demands are legitimate,” Mitra said.

Although the protest ended at 2.30pm, very little work got done after that. “I had gone to the PWD department but nobody was there. A peon asked me to come on Monday, saying the office staff were busy at a demonstration,” said Anup Sarkar, who had come to Writers’ Buildings from Basirhat.

Chakrabarti confirmed that work was “severely” affected. “That explains the necessity of the circular,” he said.

Earlier in the day, police commissioner Gautam Mohan Chakrabarti and the deputy commissioner (central) met the chief minister to discuss the unrest. “I have submitted a report to the chief minister and the home secretary on the incident. We have identified some of the employees and the investigation is on. Action will be taken once we get the final report,” the police chief said.

An official of the home department said many employees had joined the agitation simply to spite the government for issuing the circular. “Some employees come to office after 11am and leave early. They were livid on seeing the circular.”