Arunachal employees on war path

CORRESPONDENT ITANAGAR, Jan 3 – Infuriated by the Arunachal Government’s reported pressure tactic to invoke some penal provisions of Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) to prevent them from resorting to proposed agitation in the form of non-cooperation movement, the State employees under the banner of Confederation of Service Associations of Arunachal Pradesh (CoSAAP) have threatened to go ahead with their proposed stir from January 5 for an indefinite period.Although they had earlier announced to suspend all their proposed agitations after the government agreed to implement the recommendations of Sixth Pay Commission from January 1 with notional fixation of pay from January 1, 2006 with payment of six months arrears from July 1, 2008 to December 31, 2008 in two installments during the financial years, 2010 to 2011 and 2011 to 2012, the agitating employees insisted that the government implement the Sixth Pay Commission’s recommendations in toto.CoSAAP, a conglomeration of 53 State employees associations, last week submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu pleading him to ensure implementation of three years arrears due since January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2008 for employees, implementation of Sixth Central Pay Commission’s report in toto with cash payment of 40 per cent arrears during the current financial year and the rest 60 per cent during next fiscal, 2009-10, extension of retirement age to 60 from existing 58 years and provision of transport allowances to all State employees.During a press meet here on December 29 last, Home Minister Jarbom Gamling said that the government might invoke some penal provisions of ESMA if the employees did not call off their proposed agitation immediately.On December 27, a day before CoSAAP representatives met him, Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu also ruled out any possibility of rolling back his government’s earlier stand to pay only six months arrears.Khandu further said that in event of CoSAAP not agreeing to accept the agreed pay package, the State Government has decided to refer it to an experts body headed by a retired High Court judge to examine the entire issue pertaining to the feasibility of implementation of Central Pay Commission’s recommendations for the employees. The CoSAAP leadership said that the Federation will launch its third phase agitation in the form of non-cooperation movement from January 5 if the government failed to meet its demands within the timeframe. source: assam tribune