Govt staff threaten strike over 'paltry' pay hike

Several employees's unions on Saturday rejected the Union government decision to implement the Fifth Pay Commission report and have threatened to go on strike in September.

The unions are protesting against the widening gap between the lowest- and the highest-paid staff, non-payment of full arrears in cash (the government has decided to deposit 50 per cent of the arrears in provident fund) and inadequate house rent allowance for those working in smaller cities.

Government Employees National Confederation general secretary V S Yadav said their suggestions had been ignored.

The confederation had demanded that the new scales should be implement with effect from January 1994.

Even the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh ''is totally dissatisfied with the government decision'' and would convene an emergency meeting shortly to chalk out the future course of action.

The All India Trade Union Congress said it fully supported the decision of various unions to go on an indefinite strike.

The raw deal handed out to employees in lower grades had caused a great deal of dissatisfaction among them, it said.

The new payscales were also opposed by the Income Tax Employees Federation, the National Federation of Postal Employees, the All India Audit and Accounts Association, the All India Telecom Employees Union, the Printing and Stationery Department Employees Federation, the All India Census Employees Federation, the All India Telegraph Employees Union, the All India Civil Accounts Employees Association, the Post and Telecom Industrial Workers Union.

In a joint statement, they said this was the first time the government had modified the recommendations to the detriment of the employees.

On all previous occasions, the government had changed the recommendations after discussions with the employees' representatives thereby avoiding industrial unrest.

The Coordinating Committee of Federations in the department of revenue announced the launch of a country-wide agitation. The government had rejected the modification of payscales suggested by the committee, thereby lowering the status and payscales of officers and employees of the department of revenue, it said.

UNI

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