APNGOs Seek Immediate PRC, IR And Pending DAs
Employees had been waiting for a wage revision for more than eight years: Reports
NELLORE: The Andhra Pradesh government should immediately address the concerns of employees, teachers, pensioners and workers by appointing the 12th Pay Revision Commission (PRC), announcing Interim Relief (IR) and releasing pending Dearness Allowances (DAs), APNGO state president A. Vidhyasagar said on Saturday.
Addressing a media conference at NGO Home in Nellore, Vidhyasagar said employees had been waiting for a wage revision for more than eight years, while the previous PRC had resigned over three years ago and a new commission was yet to be appointed.
He rejected the argument that salaries and pensions were placing an excessive burden on the state’s own revenues, saying government employees were paid on par with their counterparts in other states and that the salary bill accounted for less than 35 per cent of government expenditure.
Vidhyasagar urged the government to honour its manifesto commitments on the PRC and IR and said employees should not be made to bear the consequences of policy decisions taken by successive governments.
He also sought the immediate release of pending DAs, saying they were a legitimate mechanism to offset rising living costs. He said employees had welcomed the coalition government’s measures, including timely salary payments and the release of some arrears, but delays in decisions on the PRC, IR and DAs were causing dissatisfaction.
APNGO state general secretary D.V. Ramana said discussions with the ministerial group on employee issues had been held in a positive atmosphere and expressed hope that the upcoming meeting with Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu would result in concrete decisions.
He also sought action on the additional quantum of pension for pensioners, notional increments for village and ward secretariat employees, and issues concerning contract and outsourcing staff.