Hyderabad: The govt employees joint action committee (JAC) has indefinitely postponed their strike scheduled to be launched from June 9 following the state cabinet’s decision to release two DAs and accept some of their main demands such as health cards and transfers. The JAC will meet again by the end of the month after the cabinet decisions are formally documented to decide their future course of action.JAC secretary general Eluri Sreenivasa Rao told TOI that the announcement of two DAs, govt agreeing to clear Rs 700 crore per month in pending bills of employees, constitution of a medical invalidation committee, health cards, a departmental promotion committee for transfers and recognition of employees’ unions were some of the main demands of the JAC that have been agreed to by the govt. “As a result, the JAC has decided to indefinitely postpone its strike call. However, the govt did not announce anything about our other main demands such as 51% fitment (Pay Revision Commission) and reverting to the old pension system. There were a total of 57 demands, and the JAC is expecting to meet again with the IAS officers’ committee led by Navin Mittal and cabinet sub-committee led by deputy chief minister Bhatti Vikramarka to seek a commitment from the govt on the remaining demands,” Sreenivasa Rao said.Sources in the govt said that although the cabinet discussed the 51% fitment (PRC) demand, it was of the view that more time was needed to announce a consensual fitment, if not 51%, as the govt has decided to clear pending bills of employees every month and has also announced two DAs, both of which are financially intensive demands. “A decision on increasing the retirement age of govt employees was kept pending, anticipating severe backlash from the students and unemployed youth. The govt is of the opinion that no step should be taken at this juncture which may antagonise the youth, who are happy with the incumbent govt giving nearly 60,000 jobs in its first year of office. A decision on the age of superannuation may be taken after panchayat and municipal polls, but only after giving job notifications for at least another 30,000 govt posts,” said the source.Regarding the employees’ demand for reverting to the old pension system, an election promise of the Congress, sources said the govt may make an announcement about it only in the last year of its present term or a few months before the next assembly elections.
