Need for both to understand each other : Stand off over 7th Pay
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: March 28 2018 -

Dies Non invoked apart from sending out the police to pull up leaders of the employees on cease work strike.

JAC of AMTUC and AMGEO on the other hand reiterating that the stir will continue until the Government gives the assurance that the 7th Pay will be implemented.

The only exception is the strike being relaxed for employees who deal with finance and accounts works.

Clearly the battle line seems to have been drawn and while the stand off cannot be good for the State as a whole in any manner, it is nonetheless interesting to note that the 7th Pay was something which the BJP had promised in its Vision 2020 document issued ahead of the Assembly elections last year.

More than 365 days down the line and what Manipur sees today is a stand off between Government employees and the State Government over the 7th Pay.

One understands the financial position of the State Government, but yet at the same time it is also important for all to remember that the JAC is not demanding immediate payment of the 7th Pay but a time frame during which time the Government should take up all the needed steps to pay the State Government employees in line with the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission.

At the moment there just does not seem to be a meeting point but the crucial question is whether the State Government can function effectively when its employees stay away from work.

On the other hand, how does anyone expect the State Government to be in the position to implement the new pay structure given the financial health of the Government.

Here it is important for all to look back to the not so distant past and recall how the State reeled under overdrafts when the 5th Pay was implemented.

Maybe it is the bitter lesson from the past, when overdraft became the vocabulary of everyone, which could be making the Government wary of implementing the new pay structure.

However what the JAC has said also needs to be kept in mind and that is the Government always talked about the poor fiscal health of the State before the earlier two pay structures were implemented but always managed to find its way out.

This too seems to have a certain degree of legitimacy but then again one need to ask whether Government employees really deserve the pay and perks that come their way.

Both sides have their own merit but it would do good for all to come to the point that this is not a one upmanship tussle.

Let the Government see what it can do, explore all means to at least be in a position to say when the new pay structure may be implemented and let the JAC also acknowledge the financial difficulties of the State Government and accordingly cultivate a work ethics so that they become productive members of the State.

At the same time the Government should also come face to face with the reality that it cannot provide employment to all and hence the need to encourage employment in the private sectors and for this the Government need to work out means to attract big business houses to the State and encourage the few who are providing employment to the people.