5 lakh govt staff state-wide one-day stir
Bhopal: Five lakh government employees have decided to go on one-day strike across the state on Friday in support of their demand for grade fixation and 71-point charter of demands.
Madhya Pradesh is the first state to revise pay scales of its employees in accordance with the pay commission recommendations asking for rationalization from pay commission, employees are pushing for grade fixation and interim relief instead.
“Talks on grade fixation have failed with principal secretary of GAD (general administration department). So we have decided to strike work on Friday. However, essential services will not be hampered,” State employees union general secretary Laxmi Narayan Sharma told TOI.
The state has approximately 1.5 lakh employees in Rs 3200-3600 grade pay and employees demand that it should be amended equivalent to grade pay in Chhattisgarh or at the Centre. “No state or Centre has such a grade pay, which is unacceptable to employees,” Sharma said. Employees are demanding three scale grade on completion of 10 years, 20 years and 28 years of service, fixing salary hike on January 1 and July 1, regularization of daily wagers and ad hoc employees and simplification of appointments on compassionate grounds.
Madhya Pradesh has 19 recognized and 16 non-recognized employee unions with over seven lakh employees as members. Despite financial burden, the state government had announced recommendations of sixth pay commission, dearness allowance from 7% to 10% during 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015.
Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had recently implemented some major recommendations of pay commission, including increase in house rent allowance, daily allowance, conveyance allowance, special allowance for employees posted in tribal scheduled areas, meals allowance, uniform allowance for those in police force, jail and forest departments.
Employees has never had it so good. The chief minister passed the order that A-Grade officers with basic pay of Rs 7,600 will be able to fly for out-of-state for official business. Employees with basic pay scale of Rs 6,600 and above are entitled to fly private operator flights within the state for official work. Conveyance allowance was increased by 200% to 350% depending on pay scales since 2003. Daily allowance has also been increased between 25% and 208% in the same period, GAD minister Lal Singh Arya.
State revenue minister stated, “The government has already done too much for employees. They should not press for their illegitimate demands now.” With a debt of Rs1.80 lakh crore by the end of 2015-16 and financial burden to cope with farm crisis, drought, insurance, health and education schemes, the government, however, seems to be unwilling to negotiate with employees.
Source : Times of India
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