Chennai: Deprived of arrears for 21 months, the Greater Chennai Corporation officials and workers continue to be upset over the civic body’s sluggishness in fixing salaries based on the seventh pay commission recommendations on time.
“There is a government order asking all the departments to implement the seventh pay commission and disburse the arrear amount of October month before November 20. We are promised of the arrears before the said date, but still we have not been given the monetary benefit,” a Chennai corporation official said. The official also alleged that the Chennai corporation lacks sufficient funds to disburse the arrear amount.
However, one of the senior officials debunked the allegation of lack of funds. “Corporation is not running out of funds. The delay in disbursing arrears is because we are still fixing the salaries according to pay commission. We cannot give arrear without fixing the salaries,” the official said. Chennai corporation will disburse the arrear dues once the salary fixation process completed, the official added.
Tamil Nadu state government in its cabinet meeting held last month had approved the implementation of seventh pay commission and increasing the salaries of its employees and teachers by 20 per cent. But the government staff, who were protesting on demand of implementing pay commission, were left in distress as the cabinet announced October 2017 would be the date of implementation.
This would mean that employees have to forgo arrears for 21 months. Pointing out at the cabinet’s decision, the Chennai corporation’s disgruntled officials expressed apprehension that the civic body may annul the arrears like state government cancelled arrears. “Already we lost arrears of 21 months. If the corporation continues to delay in fixing salaries, they would cancel the arrears citing lack of funds,” said a corporation official.
