TB staffers mull strike
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, July 22 2012: Decrying non-payment of four months salary and alleged departmental procedure to deduct certain amount from the employees' monthly entitlements, All Manipur Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme Contractual staff's Welfare Union has threatened to launch ceasework agitation from July 27 in case effective measures are not put in place at the earliest.

According to union general secretary T Lanindro Mangang the Revised national TB Control Programme was implemented throughout the State in the 1999-2000 period with salary entitlement for the contract employees fixed at level terms for all the States.

While the employees had been enjoying regular salary till February this year, from March onward salary payment ceased for unknown reason, said the secretary who also claimed information about departmental process to deduct the salary amount from the fixed ceiling.

Process is on by the Pay Implementation Cell, Manipur to trim monthly salary of a Medical Officer from Rs 30,000 to Rs 22,000 and IEC staff's pay of Rs 18,000 to Rs 13,700, he alleged while informing that a total of 116 employees would be affected in case the pay deduction comes into effect.Pointing out that employees in other States where the national programme are being implemented have no such grievances as monthly salaries are paid regularly and there is no report about deduction from their pay scale, Lanindro demanded a detailed explanation from authority concerned on why they are subjected to such discrimination.

Conveying that there are present 6000 TB patients in Manipur, he also expressed that without reciprocal gesture from the Govt for the services rendered it would be wishful thinking to expect the distressed employees to put up their best performance.

The secretary opposed the Govt's policy that pay-scale would be based on performance .

He informed that to protest such irregularities contractual employees had been attending work wearing black badge.

Comment