3 lakh Chhattisgarh govt employees on strike on August 21

            Raipur, August 19, 2008: Demanding higher pay package and implementation of the Six Pay Commission three lakh employees of Chhattisgarh state Government are going on strike from August 21, Employees Union leaders said today.

            Representatives from 23 employees unions of the state government met the Chief Minister Dr Raman Singh yesterday and demanded immediate implementation of the recommendation of the Six Pay Commission in the state, officials said.

            Since the state would any time be under the election mode, the joint forum of the employees and the officers are in haste to get the recommendation of the Six Pay Commission implemented in the state before the model code of conduct in force in the state, they said.

            Meanwhile, the Convener of the Chhattisgarh Employees and Officers Joint Forum, Subhash Mishra told reporters here initially all the three lakh employees of the Chhattisgarh Government will go on one day strike on August 21 to put pressure on the state government to accept the recommendation of the Pay Commission.

            State governments of Uttar Pradesh and Delhi have already announced to accept the recommendation after the Centre announced to give salary to its employees as per the Sixth Pay Commission and the joint forum of all the employees are demanding here that salary for the state employees should also be given as per the recommendation of the Commission, he said.

            Initially the officers and employees of the state, numbering about three lakh, would go one day strike on August 21 and the next day the Forum has convened a joint meeting to decide the next course of agitation, Mishra said.

            On the other hand, the Chief Minister Dr Raman Singh said his government was looking into the recommendations of hike in pay to the central government employees so as to give benefit to its own employees.

            The centre had on August 14 last only announced to accept the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission. We are examining that, Singh, who also holds the Finance portfolio, told ChhattisgarhTopNews.Com.

Whether the state was also increasing the salary of its employees, when asked the Chief Minister said in the last four and half years several steps had been taken by the state BJP government in favour of the employees of the state and on the hike in salary the government was examining them what best can be done.

            The Congress led government at the Centre on August 14 last announced an average increase of 21 per cent in salaries of over 50 lakh government employees with effect from January 1, 2006, while adopting the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations.