9-month arrears not paid to Telangana staff

Hyderabad: The joy of government employees and pensioners for the 43 per cent fitment (salary hike) given by TRS government in February and to RTC employees in May this year did not last long as the government has not paid nine months’ salary hike arrears.

The government is undecided whether to pay these arrears in bonds or cash. While employees want cash, the government does not have the required funds.

The cashless and limitless health cards issued by government to employees and their families has also failed to serve any purpose as corporate and private hospitals are not honoring them, fueling further unrest among the employees.

The employees also want out-patient facilities in corporate and private hospitals for themselves and their families, putting the government in a fix.

The officials who worked out the financial burden on the government if OP facility was provided, estimated that it would impose a further Rs 500 crore burden on the state’s exchequer.

The government had decided to implement new pay scales from June 2, 2014. With this, the payment of nine months’ salary arrears, from June 2014 to February 2015, became a contentious issue.

“There is no question of accepting bonds. We want the arrears to be paid only in cash. The l0th PRC recommendations were already delayed by two years. We lost the salary hike for this period. We should be compensated for this loss at least with the nine months’ arrears in cash or in our GPF accounts. We will be forced to go on strike if the government insists on five year or 10-year bonds,” said K. Ravinder Reddy, president, TS Teachers’ Union.

TNOGs honorary president, G. Deviprasad, said, “Some officials are misleading them and are trying to block the scheme. The corporate hospitals are trying to taking advantage by demanding more reimbursement. Employees are ultimately suffering.”