J & K Arrear released : Employees reject Govt decision

A day after state cabinet approved a road map for release of 50 percent arrears in varying installments, the employees Thursday rejected it as a “joke”. The latest decision over the release of pending arrears as part of the sixth pay commission may lead to a fresh confrontation between government and its workforce, who are mulling a meeting to formalize a joint strategy against it.
 

“The decision is nothing but a joke with employees and we reject it,” a spokesman of Employees Joint Action Committee headed by Abdul Qayoom Wani said in a statement here. 

The employees union held an extra-ordinary meeting to discuss the fresh cabinet order over the release of pending arrears. Besides protest against the decision, spokesman said, the meeting termed it a reneging of promise with Joint Conductive Committee, an amalgam of various employees unions. 

“The employees have decided to formalize a joint strategy with other groups to protest against the decision,” the spokesman added. 

The cabinet which met here yesterday approved that 50 per cent of arrears will be paid in varying number of installments and through the G P Fund route for different categories of employees which will have different lock-in periods for different categories. For Class-IV employees shall be paid in four equal annual installments of 25 percent each starting from 2011-12, with a lock-in period of three years for each installment. 

Class-III employees shall be paid in five equal annual installments of 20 percent each starting from 2011-12 with a lock-in period of four years for each installment. 

Class-II and I employees shall be paid in six annual installments starting from 2011-12. First five instalments shall be of 15 percent each whereas the last instalment shall consist of balance 25 percent, with a lock-in period of 5 years for each instalment. 

Pensioners shall be paid their dues in cash in three to six annual instalments beginning from 2011-12, in relation to their categorization in different age-groups. 

In the beginning of this year, the employees went on strike for many days and eventually called it off after High Court orders that termed the strike as illegal. 
Source : Kashmir Dispatch