Assam employees memorandum to chief minister on payscale

Several thousand disgruntled state government employees staged a demonstration in Dispur yesterday in protest against alleged discrepancies in the Sixth Assam Pay Commission recommendations adopted by the government.

The employees, under the banner of the State Employees Joint Action Committee, Assam, submitted a memorandum to chief minister Tarun Gogoi, seeking redressal of their grievances pertaining to the recommendations of the pay panel.

The employees, from across the state, gathered at Dispur Last Gate this morning and staged a sit-in from 11.30am to 2pm.

They shouted anti-government slogans demanding fulfilment of their demands.

The general secretary of the committee, Prabhat Chandra Medhi, accused the state government of taking a U-turn on its assurance of new payscales for the state employees on a par with central government employees.

“The chief minister has promised on the floor of the Assembly not once but twice in 2007 and again on June 29 this year. We are surprised as well as miffed at his failure to keep his promise made to the employees,” Medhi said.

On earlier occasions, the state government had maintained that it would not be a problem to pay central payscales to state government employees as the financial position of the state had drastically improved during the tenure of the Congress government, he said.

“Much to our surprise, the chief minister has now changed tack by saying that it will not be possible with the limited resources at the disposal of the government,” he rued.

The employees demand that the revised pay structure be made effective from January 1, 2006 instead of April 1, 2009 as decided by the state cabinet.

“One of our demands is a flat three per cent increment instead of the government’s decision to provide two per cent automatic increment and another one per cent depending on performance,” Medhi said.

“There would be discrepancy if there is an increment based on performance and we want a flat three per cent increment for all employees,” he said.

The committee also wants medical allowance to be increased from Rs 350 to Rs 1,500 considering the manifold increase in cost of medicines and healthcare facilities, an increase in the tenure of services of Grade IV employees by two more years and reintroduction of city allowance for the employees.

“On the basis of the pay panel recommendations, the state government has abolished the city allowance, which is unacceptable to us,” Medhi said.

The joint action committee threatened to intensify its agitation if the government fails to fulfil their demands.

Source : The Telegraph.