Many peeved with June 8 MoU : Voices of discontent, dissent grow louder
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, June 11 2018: After the Manipur Government Services Federation (MGSF), Manipur Secretariat Services Association (MSSA) and Manipur State Pensioners' Union (MSPU) signed an MoU with the State Government on June 8, many employees have started expressing strong discontentment and dissent against the MoU and its contents.

As per the MoU, benefits of the 7th Pay Commission will be extended to the employees and pensioners of the State Government with the Fitment Factor of 2.57 notionally wef January 1, 2016 and actually wef April 1, 2019.Benefits of the 7th Pay Commission with the allowances at pre-revised rate (at actual amount paid as on today) would be deposited to GPF accounts for the period April 1, 2019 to March 31, 2020 .

7th Pay benefits with revised allowances will be paid in cash with effect from April 1, 2020, said the MoU.

It was also agreed that the employees' strike on the demand of 7th Pay would be called off with immediate effect.

Many peeved with June 8 MoU : Voices of discontent, dissent grow louder

The MoU was signed by Chief Secretary Dr J Suresh Babu on behalf of the State Government, MGSF general secretary Purujit Lairikyengbam, MSSA president Ramrei Shinglai and MSPU president H Yaima.

A review meeting of the MoU was held today among Secretariat employees at the South Block where officials of the Finance Department, Pay Implementation Cell were also present.

During the meeting, many employees expressed disapproval of the contents of the MoU and even suggested insertion of certain points.

They said that employees should insist on payment of revised allowances from April 1, 2019 to March 31, 2020 which is commensurate to the 7th Pay against pre-revised rate as laid down in the MoU.

Pointing out that DA should have been hiked by one dose each in July 2017 and January this year, they asserted that it would be justified to hike the DA by at least one dose.

Some other employees said that IAS officers posted in the State were given DA at the rate of 7th Pay even though arrears for the period from January 1, 2016 to June 1, 2017 were given at the then existing rate of allowance.

Similar benefits should be extended to State Government employees otherwise the MoU is pointless, they contended.

Moreover, other speakers maintained that the MoU only bred serious discontentment because the negotiators did not bother to consult fellow employees.

The way the MoU was signed in haste hurt the sentiment of employees.

There is a vast difference between the points agreed among employees during the course of the strike and the points of agreement listed in the MoU, they asserted.

They further pointed out that the agitation for 7th Pay is for all employees of the State Government and it is not restricted to employees working in the Secretariat.

Harsh criticisms have been found in social media because the MoU was signed in haste, they said.

After discussing all these matters threadbare, the meeting agreed to approach the Chief Secretary and the State Government so as to insert certain additional points including the demand for payment of DA at a rate commensurate to the 7th Pay.

Even though the MoU was signed on June 8, the State Government is yet to issue any order for translation of the same MoU into action.

On the other hand, the cease work strike being spearheaded by the JAC of AMTUC and AMGEO has completed 81 days today.

As a part of the cease work strike, employees of Youth Affairs and Sports Department and Forest Department staged protest demonstrations at Khuman Lampak and Sanjenthong respectively.