Hyderabad: The Telangana govt employees’ joint action committee (JAC) has stated that they do not have any links with any political party or its leaders. The JAC will continue its democratic course of action to exert pressure on the Congress govt to implement their long-pending demands.“The talks with the IAS officers’ committee, led by Navin Mittal, have been completed. The committee also briefed about their consultation process and priority demands of the JAC to deputy chief minister Bhatti Vikramarka recently. Bhatti is expected to meet the committee members and also some of the members of the JAC soon. “We welcome the support extended by BRS to the long-pending demands of the employees. However, the JAC is a non-political umbrella of employees and pensioners. We neither favour nor will follow any political party, and we will not tolerate or allow any attempt to create a rift between employees and the govt,” JAC secretary general Eluri Sreenivasa Rao told TOI.He was referring to former employees’ union leaders from gazetted and non-gazetted officers’ associations, teachers’ associations, among others, who recently said they would support the JAC in taking on the govt. “All such leaders retired or took voluntary retirement and benefited politically with posts in the previous govt. There is no link between the JAC and such leaders,” Sreenivasa Rao said.The JAC has made it clear to the Mittal committee that the employees would go on strike from June 9 if at least some of their demands, like the release of pending Dearness Allowances (DAs) and pending bills, the announcement of the date on which the govt would seek the PRC report, and clarity on reverting back to the old pension system, were not met.Sources said the govt was also in a positive mood to implement some of the financial and non-financial demands of the JAC. “The possibility of the govt releasing one is not being ruled out. While one DA could be released immediately after talks with the JAC, an exact date is likely to be given for the release of another DA,” the sources said.Additionally, the govt might concede to a few other non-financial demands, such as general transfers, reverting employees to their place of posting before they were transferred during elections, and issuing orders for promotions. Officials said the release of a DA would cost 300 crore to the state. Some of the pending bills of the employees would also be released, and a committee is likely to be constituted to look into the health cards and new rates for medical treatment and reimbursement.
