Mumbai, Aug 20: The staff of income tax, central excise and customs staged a half-day walkout all over the country in protest against the pay commission's recommendations.

While the walkout in Delhi was followed by a morcha to the residence of the finance minister, P Chidambaram, protests were held at other parts of the country too.

Leaders of the Federation of Revenue Services staff claimed that while all revenue activities had come to a halt in Mumbai, customs had exempted staff engaged in clearances of a few essential commodities at the Air Cargo Complex.

Today's walkout was a part of the two-month long protests that had ensued the publication of the pay panel report and is likely to culminate into an indefinite strike call which is scheduled after September 24. It is for the first time the revenue staff belonging to the three departments covering entire direct and indirect taxes has joined hands and formed a federation of the various cadres from Group B to D.

This in other words mean that all employees below the rank of superintendents have come together to protest against the pay panel recommendations.

In Mumbai, walkouts were staged at the income-tax, customs and central excise headquarters and all other offices housing the concerned departments. This was followed by morchas being attended by the staff members from Group B to D cadres.

At Mumbai Custom House, besides the other staff, even the computer operators had joined the strike call and had resorted to a walkout well before the scheduled walkout took place to protest against the introduction of electronic data interface (EDI), a new programme introduced as part of computerisation of the customs work.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.