New Delhi, Aug 9: Nearly 17 lakh employees of the Maharashtra government, who were protesting over the past three days, have ended the strike as their key demands have been accepted.

The strike called by the Maharashtra State Employees Organisation (MSEO) led to disruption of functioning at various government institutes, including schools and hospitals, over the past three days. According to reports, nearly 60 per cent of the workforce abstained from their duties as they joined the protest.

"We held discussions with the chief minister and the finance minister in the past and with the chief secretary today. The government has agreed to most of our demands," Milind Sardeshmukh, president of MSEO, told news agency PTI.

Among the demands raised by the protesting employees included the implementation of 7th Pay Commission, release of arrears accrued due to the late implementation of 6th Pay Commission, and immediate appointments to be made for the 1.85 lakh posts of class 3 and class 4 employees which are lying vacant.

Among the posts which are vacant, 30-40 per cent are those in hospitals and other essential services departments, said Sardeshmukh.

Earlier, the state government had expressed apprehensions over accepting the demand to implement 7th Pay Commission, as it would cause an additional financial burden of Rs 21,000 crore.

With the implementation of the 7th pay panel report, the salaries of state government employees will be hiked using the 2.57 fitment factor.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 09, 2018 05:42 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).