Hyderabad: After months of uncertainty over pay revision, the Telangana govt has asked the second Pay Revision Commission (PRC) to submit its report by Sept 18, signalling movement on one of the key demands of state employees and teachers.The direction was issued to second PRC chairperson N Shivashankar during talks between govt representatives and Telangana Govt Employees Joint Action Committee (TGEJAC) leaders on Wednesday. The meeting came days after the employees organised a meeting to press for a range of pending demands.
TGEJAC leaders said the govt responded positively to several issues raised by employee and teacher unions and described the directive to submit the PRC report by Sept 18 as a “welcome development”.The second PRC was constituted in Oct 2023 with a six-month deadline to submit its recommendations. However, the report has remained pending, even as employees continued to seek pay revision, release of pending dearness allowance (DA) instalments, and announcement of fitment based on the commission’s recommendations.On the DA issue, the govt is expected to provide clarity on pending instalments at the Sept 18 meeting. TGEJAC representatives also sought the release of DA arrears due to employees.The demand for scrapping the contributory pension scheme also figured prominently in the discussions. The govt agreed to consider setting up a study committee on the issue, while TGEJAC reiterated its demand for the restoration of the old pension scheme.The employee representatives also sought early clearance of pending bills payable to govt staff and urged the govt to fully implement the health card scheme. Several other financial and non-financial issues affecting employees and teachers were also raised during the meeting.Govt representatives assured the delegation that steps would be taken to address the concerns. Both sides agreed to continue consultations to resolve employee-related issues.The ongoing pay revision exercise follows the first PRC constituted in 2018, which submitted its report in Dec 2020. Its recommendations led to the announcement of revised pay scales in 2021.Speaking to the media at the secretariat, TGEJAC chairperson Lachireddy and secretary general Botnala Rajasekhar said the govt’s decision to invite the employee body for talks soon after the employees’ resolve meeting reflected the importance attached to employees’ concerns and unity.
