Panaji, March 20 (IANS) The budget session of the Goa assembly might be in jeopardy Monday with a large section of government employees threatening an indefinite pen down strike.

The Goa Government Employees Association (GGEA), which represents nearly half of the 40,000 strong workforce, is protesting the state's failure to meet its demand for upgrading and bringing about across the board parity in pay scales.

GGEA president M.L. Shetkar told IANS Saturday: "All arrangements for observing a successful pen down agitation across Goa had been made.

"The agitation will not be suspended until the government issues the order restoring in parity in pay scales, evenly across ranks and not selectively," Shetkar said.

The government, which has already invoked the Essential Services Management Act (ESMA), has already called the strike illegal.

"Anyone found not discharging their assigned duties during the strike period, shall be treated as absent and the principle of 'no work no pay' will be invoked," a government spokesperson said Saturday.

"At present, the budget session of the Goa legislative assembly is going on and the government appeals to the employees not to be misled by the association and join work for the smooth functioning of the government," the spokesperson added.

The budget session started March 16 and ends April 8.