Employees assn demands salaries on 1st of every month

Vijayawada: Expressing concern over the delay in payment of salaries to state government employees, AP JAC Amaravati demanded the government to stick to the assurance given to employees and pay the salaries on the 1s of every month. The AP JAC Amaravati state executive body meeting was held at the Revenue Services Association office here on Tuesday.

JAC leaders discussed various issues like late payment of salaries and pensions, pending of arrears and allowances and non-implementation of the Old Pension Scheme. AP JAC chairman Bopparaju Venkateswarlu, general secretary Y V Rao and leaders of 26 districts participated in the meeting.

The JAC leaders demanded the government to pay salaries on the first of every month without delay. They stated that the employees would launch agitation after Sankranti festival if the government failed to pay salaries in time and fulfil other promises like release of allowances. Addressing the media later, Venkateswarlu demanded that Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy should intervene and take steps for discussions with the recognised employees associations on payment of salaries on the first of every month.

He said the Chief Minister assured the employees in January 2022 of releasing pending arrears, allowances, retirement benefits, medical bills, etc., but there is no progress on it. The government officials had told the employees many times that salaries and pensions would be paid in stipulated time but the situation has not changed for nearly two years.

Venkateswarlu said one lakh employees, teachers, contract and outsourced staff working in various government departments have not received salary till now in December. A panic like situation prevailed among the employees in the state due to non-payment of salaries in time. He warned that the employees would launch agitation after Sankranti if the same situation continues.

Referring to Contributory Pension Scheme, Venkateswarlu demanded that CPS should be scrapped immediately and Old Pension Scheme be restored as promised by the Chief Minister to the employees before the Assembly elections.

He felt there is no need of discussions on the CPS. The AP JAC Amaravati has many times asked the state government to scrap CPS and restoration of Old Pensions Scheme, he added. He made it clear that the AP JAC Amaravati would not accept any other pension scheme and demand the OPS only. He said the JAC meeting on Tuesday decided to organise AP JAC Amaravati third state level conference in Kurnool on February 5, 2023. A resolution was also passed to conduct the third conference in a grand manner.