Return to duty or face replacement: Biren
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, March 23 2018: Chief Minister N Biren stated that the Government would search and engage people who are capable of dealing with pending official works which must be completed before the closure of the current financial year in case the employees who are currently on cease work strike do not return to their duties by Monday.

Briefing media persons at the Chief Minister's Secretariat this evening, N Biren said the of the 7th Pay arose much before the Central Government issued a notification on July 25, 2016 regarding implementation of the 7th Pay.

Subsequently on August 29, 2016, the State Finance Department wrote to the heads of departments seeking information about number of posts in their respective departments.

CM briefing media persons at Chief Minister's Secretariat

In the meantime, the JAC of AMTUC and AMGEO submitted a 22-point of charter of demands to the then Government on November 11, 2016 .

A Cabinet meeting held on November 26 the same year adopted a resolution for constitution of a fitment committee in connection with implementation of the 7th Pay, Biren said.

After the incumbent Government was sworn in on March 15 last year, the fitment committee which was lying idle was activated.

Later, the employees' JAC held three rounds of meeting with the Chief Secretary.

Similar meetings were also held three/four times at the level of the Chief Minister.

There are 98845 regular employees and 45,523 pensioners as on May 15, 2017 .

Payment of 7th Pay to these employees and pensioners would entail additional expenditure of Rs 1400 crore annually, Biren said.

While some other States have started implementing the 7th Pay, the Government of Assam, among the North Eastern States, has started paying the new pay scale determined by a separate commission.

What the Govt of Assam has implemented is not the pay scale recommended by the 7th Central Pay Commission, asserted the Chief Minister.

None of the North Eastern States has implemented the 7th Pay so far even though the respective Governments would like to implement the same, Biren said.

The Government told the employees' JAC that it has agreed to implement the 7th Pay in-principle and it would work towards this end but they (JAC) should not set any deadline like one month or two months.

The Government was seeking some time but the JAC insisted on setting a deadline and seal a deal, Biren said.

"If the Government was unwilling to implement the 7th Pay, no serious meetings would have been held nor would I have held any meeting with them nor any calculation about the financial requirement would be have been made nor data would have been collected from different departments", asserted the Chief Minister.

He went on to say that the previous Government did nothing except constitute a committee.

Pointing out that the current financial year is about to close in the next 7/8 days whereas many official works which must be completed before closure of the financial year are pending, the Chief Minister appealed to all employees not to undertake any pen-down strike.

Further appealing to all the employees to return to their duty on Monday, the Chief Minister proposed that the question of how soon the 7th Pay can be implemented may be discussed again when the new financial year begins.

The employees are aware of the State's financial position, Biren said and appealed again to all employees not to undertake such strikes at the end of the financial year.

If the employees on strike do not return to their duty by Monday, Principal Secretaries, Secretaries and DCs would be asked to.

search and engage capable persons who can do official works either on daily wage or contract basis.

The Government cannot be paralysed because of the strike and funds which should be released for different welfare schemes of economically weaker sections cannot be held back because of the strike.

The State's financial position is not sound enough to meet the additional annual expenditure of Rs 1400 crore.

Nonetheless, the Government has been working hard to mobilise resources through GST in order to implement the 7th Pay, Biren added.