In a major comedown, the AP Government has decided to hold talks with the government employees, who are on a warpath. The employees have been demanding timely payment of salaries and have been decrying the inordinate delay in the payment of salaries. They threatened to launch an agitation on the issue. The government has decided to hold talks with the employees. The CMO officials have sent an invitation to the employees union leaders to hold talks.
Accordingly, the first round of talks were held on Tuesday where government advisor Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy and chief secretary Sameer Sharma met JAC leaders Bandi Srinivasa Rao and Bopparaju Venkateswarlu. The employees’ union leaders have put forth their demand and said that they would be left with no option but to go ahead with the agitation.
They reportedly insisted on salary payment on the first date of the month, implementation of PRC by Dasara, scrapping of the contributory pension scheme, regularisation of the contract employees and hike in the salaries of the outsourcing employees.
AP and Amaravati Employees Joint Action Committee chairperson Bandi Srinivas Rao has said that the funds allocated for payment of salaries was being used to purchase dog biscuits for the officials. He said that something of this sort has never happened. Never were funds meant for paying salaries used for other purposes, he said.