State govt. staff in Bidar to join strike

States collecting lesser taxes than Karnataka were paying their employees higher salaries’

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State government employees in the district will join their colleagues across the State in the one-day symbolic strike on June 2 demanding wage revision to bring in pay parity with Central government employees. That day, they will not attend office. They will gather outside the Deputy Commissioner’s office and submit a memorandum at around 1.30 p.m.

 

“We demand equal pay for equal work. Central government employees handling similar responsibilities in the same place of work get nearly twice our salary. We want this disparity to go,” Rajendra Kumar Gandage, Karnataka State Government Employees’ Association district unit president, told presspersons in Bidar on Tuesday.

 

In 1966, the State government announced that it would constitute pay commissions every five years. That should have meant 10 commissions till now. But till now, it has constituted only five commissions, three committees with senior officers and one Cabinet sub-committee. This practice should stop. Commissions should be appointed regularly, without fail, he said.

 

He claimed that 24 States were using recommendations of the Union government’s pay commissions to decide the salary and allowances of State government employees. “Why can’t the Karnataka government do that?,’’ Mr. Gandage said. According to him, States collecting lesser taxes than Karnataka were paying their employees higher salaries.

 

According to him, the disparity in salaries between the Union and State government employees was between 44-110 per cent depending on the rank of officials. The disparity in dearness allowance alone is between 20-80 per cent.

 

Mr. Gandage also said Telangana was paying employees more than Karnataka. For example, a D group office assistant in Telangana is drawing salary equal to school teachers in Karnataka.

 

Across the State 40 per cent of sanctioned posts are vacant. The Chief Minister should take steps to fill them. In Bidar alone, 7,000 of the 20,000 posts are vacant, Ramesh Mathpati, general secretary, said.

 

Emergency services in the Health Department will not be affected by the strike. Those on emergency duty will work with black badges. They will also mark absent in their muster rolls, Rajkumar Malge, state council member, said.

Source : http://www.thehindu.com