Government staff’s dharna on March 2

Government staff’s dharna on March 2

The Puducherry Government Employees Federation (PGEF) on Thursday announced a dharna on March 2 urging the Union Government to meet a charter of demands, including the retrospective implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission recommendation from January 1, 2014.

The PGEF honorary president C.H. Balamohanan, general secretary M. Premadasan and other office-bearers announced the dharna in solidarity with the Central Government Employees and Workers Federation which has called for a series of protests across the country.

Mr. Balamohanan said service conditions and rules pertaining to the Central government employees are also applicable to 25,000 government employees in Puducherry as well.

Demanding salary revision once in five years, the officer bearers of the federation said now the salaries of Central government employees here have been revised once in 10 years and even though the Union Government has constituted the Seventh Pay Commission on January 1, 2014, there is no symptom of giving its final recommendation within eighteen months.

“We demand that Seventh Pay Commission recommendation should be applied with retrospective effect from January 1, 2014 and interim monetary benefit should be extended immediately. Besides, 100 per cent dearness allowance should be merged with basic pay and anomalies in the implementation of Sixth Pay Commission should be removed,” said Mr. Balamohanan.

They also said the government should give up the privatisation of railway and defence and the corporatisation of postal department and should fill vacant posts after lifting the ban on recruitment.

The federation also demanded the Union Government not to amend labour laws.

Meanwhile, Central trade unions on Thursday conducted a road blockade near Indira Gandhi Square. Earlier they took out a procession from Ellaipillaichavadi. Trade union leaders condemned the Union Government for amending labour laws and adopting ordinance route to amend Land Acquisition Act.

They said the Centre has not shown any interest on the charter of demands of all central trade unions.

The leaders also charged the government with implementing contract labour systems in all sectors.

Around 150 of them were taken into custody by police and later released.

Around 150 Central trade union members held for road blockade