As PRC talks stall, staff unions allege delay tactics

Vijayawada: The talks between state government employees associations and officials of finance department on Thursday failed to achieve any breakthrough. The officials of finance department, including HR chief secretary Sasibushan Kumar and secretary K V V Satyanarayana conducted joint staff council meeting at the Secretariat here. The officials held talks with employees association in three slots with three different groups. The employees associations explained their stand on fitment, pay revision commission and monitory benefits.

Speaking on the occasion, Sasibushan Kumar said that the state government is committed to finalise PRC issue as early as possible. He said the government is considering to announce fitment to benefit employees as it has been already paying 27 per cent interim relief. The views of employees associations will be taken to the notice of Chief Minister, he added.

Leaders of employees association later told the media that the state government has been dodging the key issue of PRC and

accused it of dragging the issue in the name of discussions with officials of finance department.

There is no use of such meetings, said AP JAC chairman Bandi Srinivasulu and Amaravati JAC chairman Bopparaju Venkateswarlu. They said that there was no progress on fitment issue so far.

The employee leaders expressed ire over delay in the finalisation of fitment and PRC. They said that the officials promised to settle the issue before Chief Minister within one week but so far no steps have been taken in that direction. "Under these circumstances, we have no alternative except going ahead with our action plan of agitation," the leaders said.