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The Andhra Pradesh Joint Action Committee (AP JAC) Amaravati has decided to temporarily defer its proposed agitation following assurances from the state government on several long-pending demands of government employees and pensioners.
The JAC welcomed the government’s decision to appoint a Commissioner for the Pay Revision Commission (PRC), release two instalments of Dearness Allowance (DA), restore the additional pension for pensioners and sanction surrender leave for employees and police personnel. It also welcomed measures to facilitate the use of Employee Health Cards.
However, several district-level representatives expressed disappointment over the absence of an announcement on Interim Relief (IR), a long-standing demand of employees, as well as a lack of clarity on the payment of pending arrears.
The decision to defer the agitation was taken at a joint state-level executive meeting of AP JAC Amaravati and its Women’s Wing at Revenue Bhavan on Sunday, September 6. The meeting was chaired by AP JAC Amaravati chairman Bopparaju Venkateswarlu. State office-bearers and district-level representatives, including state publicity secretary R Srinivasa Rao and NTR district chairman Battina Ramakrishna, attended the meeting.
The meeting reviewed the measures announced by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu during his recent meeting with representatives of employee associations.
After discussions, the executive decided to give the government some time to act on the assurances given by the Chief Minister. The JAC unanimously urged the government to announce and implement IR at the earliest, citing the financial difficulties faced by employees, pensioners, and their families.
It also sought a roadmap for clearing pending arrears and asked the government to ensure that details of the dues and payments are reflected in employees’ pay slips.
The JAC stressed the need for mutual trust between the government and employee associations in implementing decisions reached through negotiations. It also said employees who participated in the statewide agitation were the “main stakeholders” in its outcome and appreciated the leadership at the state, district, divisional, mandal, and field levels for implementing the programmes announced by the organisation.
The JAC urged the government to direct the PRC to submit its report within six months, noting that the appointment of the commission had already been delayed.
It also called on the Group of Ministers constituted by the government to hold discussions on the remaining 30 major demands raised by AP JAC Amaravati and arrive at clear solutions within a stipulated time frame.
The JAC said it would regularly review the implementation of the decisions announced by the government and warned that it could resume its agitation if employees’ interests and legitimate rights were adversely affected.
The organisation said it would extend constructive cooperation to the government as long as it demonstrated sincerity in resolving employees’ issues. At the same time, it said its leadership and employees remained prepared to launch democratic protests if there was undue delay or neglect in addressing their demands.
