Andhra Pradesh staff seek sops to avert strike

Vijayawada:  With no headway in resolving the deadlock over revised payscales, a majority section of employees is ready to accept the upward revision of house rent allowance (HRA), restoration of city compensatory allowance (CCA) and additional quantum of pension of 10 per cent to pensioners aged 70 to 80 years. 

Employees in the AP Secretariat and in the offices of heads of departments in Amaravati and its surrounding areas used to get HRA of 30 per cent which was decreased to 16 per cent in the revised payscales.

Employees working in district headquarters and in urban centres used to get HRA of 20 per cent and those in villages and mandals 12 per cent. It was cut to eight per cent for both.

State employees working in the capital used to get CCA of Rs 1,000 and those in other places Rs 700. The state government abolished the CCA. Pensioners in the age group of 70 to 80 years used to get additional quantum of pension of 10 per cent of basic pay which was also abolished. 

The government announced interim relief of 27 per cent of basic pay in 2019 and recently announced fitment of 23 per cent. This meant the balance would be recovered from the employees.

To resolve this, employees unions asked the government to revise the three slabs of HRA upwards, restore CCA and additional quantum of pension.

Meanwhile, the state government issued GO Ms No.12 on Saturday revising the HRA to 16 per cent from 8 per cent to the employees working in head of the departments of the director of works accounts and pay and accounts office, Ibrahimpatnam, based a request from HoDs situated around Vijayawada on par with the employees working in Velagapudi Secretariat and HoDs working in Vijayawada.