Will KCR tame govt staff?

​Hyderabad: All eyes are on the crucial meeting called by Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao with various associations and unions representing government employees, teachers and RTC staff on Wednesday.

The Cabinet Sub-committee comprising ministers Eatala Rajender, K T Rama Rao and G Jagdish Reddy held a series of discussions with union leaders over the last week and gave their recommendations to KCR to take a final call on their pending demands.

In view of the all-important meeting, the CM was closeted with the sub-committee members, Chief Secretary S K Joshi and Principal Secretary (Finance) Ramakrishna Rao on Tuesday evening.

It may be mentioned here that KCR appointed a ministers’ panel a few days back sensing discontent brewing among the government employees, who also planned to devise an action plan including non co-operation to government programmes, for realization of their long pending demands.

The Cabinet Sub-Committee held discussions with employees’ associations and teachers’ associations and submitted their recommendations initially on May 11. However, KCR instructed the committee members and officials to meet again and study the issues more deeply. He also told them to hold discussions with the RTC unions also involving Transport Minister Mahender Reddy.

Following CM's instructions, the ministers’ panel held talks with RTC employees and senior officials, one more time on Tuesday. The ministers’ panel during discussions with different representatives gave a patient hearing to all their demands and deliberated on them with senior officials of various departments later.

An employee leader said that they did not get any assurance on a particular demand from the panel. Understandably, the CM would be having a final say on the matter and so all are waiting for the Wednesday meeting with him, the leader said.

As far as the government employees are concerned, they submitted a list of 18 demands including withdrawal of Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), enhancing retirement age from 58 to 60 years, nod for general transfers, appointment of Pay Revision Commission, bringing back nearly 1000 Telangana native employees of all cadre working in Andhra Pradesh, relaxing promotions limit from three to two years to name a few.

"We are very particular on clarity on some demands like withdrawal of CPS and sending an Assembly resolution on the same to the Centre, enhancing retirement age from 58 to 60 years, bringing back Telangana native staff working in Andhra Pradesh state, allowing employees transfers in Wednesday meeting," stated employee unions.

The JAC of teachers submitted 36 demands to the government and are pinning hopes on a majority of them.

TS UTF general secretary Chava Ravi said that they are awaiting government nod on withdrawal of CPS, immediate transfers and promotions to teachers, extending health insurance benefit to teachers of all other state-run schools.

When it comes to RTC employees, there is no clarity on the demands as the recognized union TMU (Telangana Mazdoor Union) has not specified the number but the non-recognized unions that formed a JAC submitted 15 demands.

Implementation of Pay Revision which is pending since April 1, 2017, ensuring Rs 24,000 as basic pay, taking up recruitments and decrease the work load of existing staff, money for procuring new buses, filling up the gap of 19 per cent in the fitment between RTC staff and government staff are some of the main demands.