Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Oct 5: Minister for Finance, Abdul Rahim Rather, today declared the strike by Government employees as unjustified and said that Government will act against them under service rules of no work no pay.
While making a statement on the strike of the State Government employees, Rather told Legislative Assembly that the Government do not want any confrontation with the employees.
“All their demands, except the issue of increase in the retirement age, have been met and still they are on strike. The strike creates problems for the general people and law will take its own course”, said Rather in his detailed statement on striking Government employees.
The Opposition parities – PDP, BJP, NPP and CPI (M) – demanded that cases against the striking employees under ESMO should be withdrawn and those arrested for the past few days be released. However, Rather warned that law will take its own course and told the House that employees plan to Gherao the Legislative Assembly will not be allowed.
About the opposition unanimous demand of withdrawal of cases against striking employees and their release, Rather said: “We also do not want any confrontation with employees. How can we remain silent spectators when the employees go on strike without any reason and announced to gherao the Assembly? We have announced, No work no Pay, and law will take its own course”, he said.
The Minister said that no Government will permit the employees to take law into their own hands. “We will act as per law against them. Let them join duties, no action will be taken against them”, he added.
Rather said Government has already implemented all the demands of employees, except increasing the retirement age from present 58 years to 60 years, decision on which will be taken after considering the concerns and opinions expressed by all stake holders.
“Let the House decide whether the employees are on right path or wrong path. Let this House unanimously pass a resolution over the retirement age issue, we will consider it and then take a decision”, the Minister announced.
Rather said that enhancement of the retirement age is a very difficult decision. He told the House that raising age limit is not an easy decision. “The unemployed youth, Civil Society and a large section of Government employees are against the enhancement of the retirement age. A section of the Government employees has given in writing to the Government about their resentment on the enhancement of retirement age”, he said.
The Minister’s statement asking the House to take a unanimous decision silenced the entire opposition who earlier cutting across party lines expressed concern over the employees strike and Government’s failure to resolve the crisis. He said a Sub Committee of six senior Cabinet Ministers held meetings with the representatives of employees on September 17 and later on September 27 to resolve the issue.
Rather said that Government had asked the striking employees that Government will resolve the issue within this year only but the employees were adamant that final decision be taken before Eid or Darbar move. “We had called them for meeting on September 27 but they took a decision to go for strike. Their strike creates problem for the common people. They close hospitals and it can’t tolerated”, he said.
The Minister said that the employee salary bill has gone up from Rs 5477 crore in 2009 to Rs 16, 000 crore in 2013. He said that 6th Pay Commission issue of the employees was pending since 2006. “No one was hearing them. When we took over in 2009, we called them and asked them why are they on strike. We formed a Cabinet Sub-Committee and implemented the 6th Pay Commission recommendation from July 2009. The arrear bill was Rs 4200 crore and Government of India refused to pay it and we managed it from State resources and fixed five instalments for it”, he said.
“About need-based workers, we have written to departments about them. We want to know who appointed them, whether there was a clear vacancy and were they drawing salary from treasuries”, Rather said. He said that none of the department has replied so far. “If any department has replied that too was incomplete”, he said and asked “how can Government take a decision about them”?
“Let these striking employees take the matter in their departments and get the cases of daily wagers, contractuals and need based workers cleared so that we are able to take a final decision”, said the Minister.
However, Rather made it clear that any daily wager or contractual who had completed seven years in service will be regularised. “We regularised 56,000 daily wagers who had completed seven years of service,” he informed the House and said cases of 2000 were not complete. We are open to consider their cases also, he announced.
The Minister said the employees added new demand of the wages of Junior and Senior clerks be increased more than what is recommended in the 6th Pay Commission. “How can we go beyond 6th Pay Commission recommendations”, he said adding later that other employees will demand more than what is being paid in Central Government offices.
The MLA Langate, Engineer Rashid, while speaking on the issue in the Assembly took on the coalition Government and asked it to stop the drama that is being enacted. “Congress president, Prof Saifudin Soz, recently favoured Government employees’ demand of raising the retirement age to 60 and now you are against it. Stop this drama”, Rashid said.
Rashid said that Government should clearly tell the employees that retirement age won’t be enhanced. “It would be only enhanced at the dead bodies of the unemployed youth”, he added.
CPIM general secretary Mohammad Yusuf Tarigami told the House that employees are responsible and appealed them to end confrontation and resolve the issues with Government through negotiations.
MLA Ashwani Kumar Sharma wanted to know from the Government about any written agreement with the Government employees and asked the Government: “Are you implementing it, if no, then why not?”
The NPP leader, Harshdev Singh demanded that the cases against the employees should be withdrawn and the issues be resolved through negotiations.
BJP rebel Prof Chaman Lal Gupta said that statement on Government employees could have been made on the first day of the session. “Cases against the employees should be withdrawn. If we are holding talks with Pakistan why not with Government employees”, he demanded.
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