Traders, employees to cease work from Jul 18
Source: The Sangai Express / Newmai News Network

Imphal, July 05 2011: Manipur trade unions and Government employees' organizations have threatened the Government that it will re-activate its suspended cease work strike from July 18 if its charter of demands are not met with in toto.

Council of Teachers' Association (COTA), which is part of the employees' body will, however, not be taking part in the strike considering the plight of the students.

"COTA will refrain from the cease work strike set to begin July 18 in order not to disturb the educational needs of the students but it will show its solidarity by resorting to democratic agitations that will not paralysed classes," said COTA convener Ch Santa Kumar while speaking today at the joint press conference of the Coordination Committee of Council of Teachers' Association (COTA) and Manipur State Pensioners' Union (MSPU) and Joint Administrative Council (JAC) of All Manipur Trade Unions Council (AMTUC) and All Manipur Government Employees' Organization (AMGEO) at the office of the JAC at the high security Babupara in Imphal.

"However, if the government continue strike its apathetic posture and doesn't respond to our demands positively at the earliest, we will be forced to join the cease work strike even at the cost of students future," he said.

Secretary general of the JAC Ch Chandramani Singh said at the same press conference that a meeting on June 30 of the executive bodies of AMTUC, AMGEO, MSPU and COTA has resolved unanimously to resume the suspended cease work strike on July 18 unless the government of Manipur executive its charter of demands and added that the departments that come under essential services will not be effected by the cease work strike.

The Government of Manipur had signed two MOUs with the aggrieved state employees' organizations on two different occasions in May last year but the government has reportedly not delivered on the promises.

"Though there has been a gap of more than 13 months from the dates of signing of MOUs till date, the government of Manipur has not executed the provisions of the MOUs fully as per norms of the centre except some modified and incomplete orders," said Mr Singh, and added that "under such circumstances, the MOUs are treated as cancelled and invalid" .

The charter of demands include: adoption of acceptable recommendations of the 6th central pay commission along with all its benefits in toto retrospectively from January 2006, merger of 50 percent DA/DR with basic pay/pension retrospectively from April 2004, payment of various due arrears, rectification of pay anomalies, regularization of genuine ad-hoc employees, restoration of die-in-harness scheme, revision of minimum wages at par 6th pay commission, removal of monthly ceiling limit on withdrawal of GPF, to lift the ban on direct recruitment of vacant posts in Government departments etc.

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