VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary Sameer Sharma called on government employees to call off their indefinite strike, underlining that their problems can be solved through negotiations.
Earlier, the Chief Secretary and adviser to government Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy had held discussions with Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy in the background of the ‘Chalo Vijayawada’ protest.
Addressing a press conference here on Thursday night, Sharma reiterated that salaries of employees will not reduce with implementation of 11th Pay Revision Commission (PRC) recommendations. He clarified that no recoveries will be made by the government from salaries of employees.
The Chief Secretary observed that when state government is ready to negotiate with its staff, protests and agitations are of no use. He pointed out that IR means Interim Relief, which is pre-adjustment. The government gives IR whenever PRC is delayed.
Sharma informed that the new PRC will impose a burden of ₹ 10,000 crore on the state government. He explained that it is incorrect to compare new PRC with IR and instead asked employees to compare the new PRC with old PRC. He said if staff still had problems, a committee of ministers can think of a solution. He pointed out that there will be DA, HRA and other sections in pay slips, which must be considered as a whole to know the increase in salaries.
Principal Secretary (finance) Shashibhushan Kumar said IR is only a temporary benefit and every employee will get an increment. He maintained that this government has given the highest IR compared to all PRCs so far. It also gave IR for a maximum of 30 months.
Shashibhushan said government employees should make good use of anomalies’ committee to resolve their issues.
Meanwhile, Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy said the government is always ready for talks with employees. He said unions had been called for talks several times. He felt there is a tendency among employees to complicate matters further.
