Agri Coop Societies Staff stages Protest

Ongole: Members of the Prakasam district unit of Andhra Pradesh State Agricultural Cooperative Employees Union staged a protest in front of the Collectorate here on Monday, demanding that the government immediately accept their wish list.

The association president for the district, G Srinivasarao explained that the cooperative society employees became salaried employees as per the GO 151 of May 22, 2009 and their salaries should be revised as per the GO 1533 of December 5, 2008. 

But since then, their salaries were not revised. He said that the government had appointed a seven-member committee on January 28, 2016 to take a decision on the hike. 

He said that though the committee had recommended 10 percent hike in salary, increase of gratuity from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2 lakh, extension of retirement age from 58 years to 60 years and provision of transfers within division, the government had not taken a decision yet.

R Dileep Kumar, general secretary of the association for the district said that they were asking for a hike of 35.7 percent in salary as per the prices stabilisation formula and implement it from April 2014. 

He said that they were also demanding that the government increase the gratuity to Rs 5 lakh and consider their seniority in filling the posts in cooperative banks. 

He said that they were also wanted the government not to take up recruitments under outsourcing method.