Thiruvananthapuram: The talks held by chief secretary S.M. Vijayanand with representatives of various secretariat staff associations on formation of Kerala Administrative Service (KAS) ended inconclusively with the Congress- led staff associations opposing the government move and calling for boycott of work on Thursday.
The meeting in which representatives of eight organisations participated, lasted only 30 minutes. When contacted, Mr Vijayanand told this newspaper that the government would go ahead with the decision to form KAS.
He said the representatives of the employees’ associations could raise their suggestions and concerns before Special Rules Framing Committee.
“They will be formally asked to appear before the panel,” he added.
Meanwhile, the government got a shot in the arm with pro CPM Kerala Secretariat Employees Association which had earlier expressed serious reservations on KAS, decided to support the decision.
“We are taking the assurances given by the government at face value. This government has social commitment and we will support it in the larger interest of the society,” association general secretary M.S. Biju-kuttan. He said all major non secretariat staff associations were supporting KAS and taking a negative stand would prove detrimental to the interests of the state.
The Congress-led Secretariat Association said the government was acting unilaterally without removing the apprehensions of the staff. “We will intensify our agitation in the coming days and even resort to strike. Barring CPM led association all others are opposed to KAS which is detrimental to the interests of secretariat employees,” said association president Sreekumar.
The KAS will cover 30 departments including secretariat. All those posts which are one grade above the first gazetted post in the selected 30 departments would be included in the deputy collector cadre and made equivalent to deputy collector. Fifty per cent of those from this category will be selected to the Kerala Administrative Service and the remaining 50 per cent from the civil services recruitment conducted by the PSC.
The Congress led organisations are opposing KAS as they believe that it would seriously affect the secretariat administrative structure and the very existence of the Secretariat service besides adversely affecting their promotion avenues.
