Hyderabad: The growing discontent among govt employees, pensioners, teachers and contract and outsourcing workers over the alleged delay in implementing the Second Pay Revision Commission (PRC) report and addressing other demands is likely to pose a challenge to the ruling Congress in the upcoming Graduate MLC elections in Telangana.A large number of employees have threatened not only to vote against Congress candidates in Mahabubnagar-Rangareddy-Hyderabad and Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda Graduate MLC constituencies but also to campaign against govt in their personal capacity if it fails to take immediate steps to implement the PRC report, increase the monthly allocation for clearing pending bills to ₹2,000 crore and constitute a committee to examine the restoration of the old pension system.
Leaders of the Telangana Govt Employees, Gazetted Officers, Teachers, Workers and Pensioners Joint Action Committee (TGE-JAC) said more than four lakh employees, pensioners and contract and outsourcing workers across the six districts covered by the two constituencies were graduates.A considerable number of them have applied for enrolment as voters for the elections, giving the employees’ community the potential to influence the electoral outcome. Though the JAC’s top leaders favour further talks with govt, a large number of employees have expressed dissatisfaction over govt’s failure and inordinate delay in fulfilling assurances given by chief minister A Revanth Reddy and deputy chief minister Bhatti Vikramarka.They pointed out that more than two months had passed since the deputy chief minister assured them that govt would ask the PRC to submit its report and constitute a joint committee to discuss the restoration of the old pension scheme. However, no action had been taken so far. The PRC has been pending for more than three years. At an extended executive committee meeting held at the TGOs building in Nampally on Nov 6, under the chairmanship of TGEJAC chairperson Maram Jagadeeshwar and secretary general Eluri Sreenivasa Rao, employees discussed their long-pending demands and decided to chalk out an agitational action plan after Diwali festival to press govt for their resolution.The JAC demanded the immediate release and implementation of the Second PRC report with 51% fitment, with effect from July 1, 2023. It said the CM’s assurance that the report would be obtained from the commission by June 2 had not been fulfilled. The committee also demanded an increase in the monthly allocation for clearing pending employee bills from the existing ₹1,000 crore to ₹2,000 crore, as the value of pending bills had crossed ₹10,000 crore. It also called for the abolition of the CPS and restoration of OPS.While the JAC expressed satisfaction over govt’s new employee health scheme, it sought its effective implementation across all govt-owned organisations and strict instructions to hospitals to ensure that employees benefit from it. The JAC has also demanded the introduction of a five-day work week, excluding schools, citing El Nino-related conditions. “The govt wants to save power, water and other resources, especially during El Nino. A five-day work week, with an additional hour of work every day to compensate for the sixth day, will help save considerable amounts of power and water in govt offices,” an employee said.
