A.P. Employees’ Joint Action Committee chairman Bandi Srinivasa Rao on Saturday said they would be ready for talks with the State government only on equal terms, and not on the agenda fixed by the officials on pay revision for employees. Taking part in a protest organised by the members of the PRC Sadana Samiti here, he said: “The terms fixed by officials is not agreeable to us. Firstly, the PRC G.O.s issued should be kept in abeyance and old pay scales should be implemented for the current month.” The employees were vexed following several rounds of unfruitful talks held so far and the State government’s failure to implement the PRC recommendations, said Mr. Rao, president of the Andhra Pradesh Non-Gazetted Officers Association.The State government should first make public the PRC recommendations. Under any circumstances, the fitment should be less than 27 per cent, he made it clear. The government had unilaterally come out with PRC G.O.s without addressing the concerns of the employees on various issues including house rent allowance, he complained, as the employees observed a relay fast for the third day in succession. Cutting HRA to just 8% to the staff in Velagapudi was unreasonable, he felt, adding that the staff in the district headquarters deserved 20 per cent HRA. They would continue their stir till their just demands were met by the State government, which was denying them a decent pay hike on the pretext of cash crunch, he said, adding that there was a growing unrest among the employees over the prolonged delay in the government announcing a pay hike in tune with the aspirations of the employees.
‘Vijayawada Chalo’ stir
In Ongole, a large number of women employees observed relay fast during the protest presided over by PRC Sadana Samiti leader K. Sarath Babu, who exhorted them to gear up for ”Vijayawada Chalo” stir on February 3. Members of the Road Transport Corporation employees Association led by its president Y.V. Rao participated in the protest to press their demands including regularisation of the services of employees taken on contract basis and scrapping of the contributory pension scheme(CPS) as promised by Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy during his long march before coming to power.