Amaravati: The agitating employees of the Andhra Pradesh government on Thursday took strong objection to an advisor calling their associations leaders “immature,” as they insisted on being paid their January salary according to the old pay scale while the government directed that the revised one be implemented for the month.
The government staff have been up in arms against the orders on pay revision and have been holding protests.
Tension flared up on Thursday after the advisor (public affairs), S R K Reddy called the employees’ associations leaders “immature”.
The employees’ associations leaders took strong exception to his remarks and demanded they be withdrawn immediately.
The Pay Revision Commission (PRC) Struggle Committee, for the third day, stayed away from talks with the government committee to resolve the pay revision issue, even as three ministers and the advisor waited for them in the Secretariat.
“We are ready for talks with the employees’ associations and dispel their misgivings. Talks will resolve the issue and we are ready to climb four steps down,” Reddy said.
He said the employees’ leaders should not act in an immature manner.
“Immature is a small word. I should use something bigger ” Reddy remarked, infuriating the employees’ leaders who wondered if he did not know whether they were matured or immature when he engaged them in talks earlier.
They demanded that Reddy immediately withdraw his remarks and desist from insulting the leaders.
Meanwhile, the employees started submitting request letters to the Drawing and Disbursing Officers urging they be paid salary for the month of January 2022 as per the old pay scales.
“I request that my salary be paid only in old scales, including dearness allowance sanctioned up to July 1, 2021. My salary will be lesser if fixed in Revised Pay Scales 2022 as per the Government Orders,” the employees said in the letter.
They would file willingness for new pay scales after exercising their option “as and when provided”.
The Finance Department, however, issued yet another circular memo directing that the January month salary be paid as per the Revised Pay Scales 2022.
Special Chief Secretary (Finance) Shamsher Singh Rawat said in the memo that preparations of salary bills for January is considerably behind the prescribed timelines and directed that all the bills be uploaded by Friday and salaries and pensions credited on February 1.
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