PIL challenges fitment benefit to Telangana employees

The Forum represented by D. Padmaja moved the PIL stating that the state government has decided to offer 43 per cent fitment benefit for fixing the pay in the revised pay scales as against 29 per cent recommended by the 10th Pay Revision Commission. The petitioner said that the revised pay scales will be implemented notionally from July 1, 2013 with monetary benefit from June 2, 2014.

Accordingly, the government has issued GO Ms No.25 dated March 18, 2015 granting revised pay scales and also issued GOs 26, 27 and 28 granting DA, HRA and revised city compensatory allowance to the employees, the petitioner added.

She pointed out that the Telangana government has acted in haste in declaring the fitment benefit contrary to the recommendation made by the pay revision commission.

The petitioner told the court that in fact, a high power committee was constituted for deliberation and consultative process, to be held with the employees’ association, but the government acted hastily without waiting for the committee’s report on the fitment issue.

The petitioner contended that the action of the government in announcing fitment was tantamount to a quid pro quo between the government and its employees.

She alleged that sanctioning of 43 per cent fitment was nothing but ‘mismanagement’ on the part of the state general administration.She urged the court to declare the GOs which were issued for sanctioning the fitment as illegal and arbitrary and to grant stay of all further proceedings pursuant to the GOs.