Govt Committed to Resolving Employees’ Issues Through Dialogue: Ministers

VIJAYAWADA: Finance minister Payyavula Keshav and health minister Satya Kumar Yadav on Thursday assured government employees that the coalition government was committed to resolving all pending issues through sustained dialogue and consultations.

Addressing the fourth state conference of the AP Joint Action Committee (APJAC), Amaravati, at Tummalapalli Kalakshetram in Vijayawada, Keshav said the government and employees were not separate entities and reiterated that discussions remained the preferred route to resolve grievances. He described the recent relaxation of the age limit for Child Care Leave as a historic and employee-friendly decision, enabling women employees to avail the facility at any time before retirement. The move, he said, would benefit nearly 60 per cent of the workforce.

Satya Kumar Yadav said the issues related to Pay Revision Commission (PRC), Interim Relief (IR), Dearness Allowance (DA) arrears, surrender leave and leave encashment were under active consideration. He assured that all these matters would be brought to the notice of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu for appropriate decisions.

Earlier, a massive rally was taken out from Lenin Centre to Eluru Road, turning the stretch red with the participation of thousands of employees. Over 12,000 employees affiliated with APJAC Amaravati and its allied unions attended the conference, making the venue overflow.

Presiding over the meeting, APJAC Amaravati chairman Bopparaju Venkateswarlu, who was unanimously elected for a fourth consecutive term, said that discussions held with the Cabinet Sub-Committee and the Chief Minister on October 18 last year had resulted in the resolution of several long-pending issues. He expressed gratitude to the government for initiating corrective measures.

The conference adopted resolutions demanding the immediate constitution of the 12th PRC, announcement of IR, clearance of arrears estimated at `30,000 crore, payment of retirement benefits to pensioners and families of deceased employees, restoration of the Additional Quantum of Pension to 15 per cent, and settlement of surrender leave and leave encashment dues.

State general-secretary Palisetti Damodara Rao, re-elected unanimously for a second term, highlighted pending compassionate appointments and sought the release of `3,500 crore due to CPS employees. A new 21-member state committee was unanimously elected at the conference.