Imphal, February 17, 2010: State public health engineering department today threatened that employees of the department under essential service category will also join the cease-work strike demanding in toto payment of revised sixth pay bands.

Government administration has been paralyzing in Manipur for the last one month as employees of most of the departments had ceased work on the demand for payment of sixth revised pay bands as per recommendation of the sixth Pay Commission effective from coming April with arrears from January 1, 2006.Manipur government had already announced to pay the revised sixth pay structure effective from April, 2010 but without arrears.

Striking employees rejected the government order lamenting that it was against the demand of the payment of the same with arrears effective from January 1, 2006. Employees are on cease work strike under the banner of the Joint Administrative Council (JAC) of All Manipur Trade Union Council (AMTUC) and All Manipur Government Employees Organization (AMGEO) since January 15 last.

Even though employees of the secretariat services are yet to join, functioning of the state administrations have been paralyzing as no file put up from the departments.

Salaries of January month payable in February of the employees in the essential service category were also yet to disburse as treasury offices had also joined the stir right from the very beginning, officials at the state secretariat said.

In the meantime, strongly condemning to the government apathy to its employees, employees of the state public health engineering department (PHED) Wednesday announced that they will also join the cease work strike shortly.

If the government not efforted to fulfill the demands of the striking employees, they will also join the cease work strike.

“We are getting ready to joint the strike,” general secretary, N Inao Singh of Public Health Engineering Department Workers and Employees Organisation Manipur said.

He did not disclosed the exact date on which they would start ceasing work but hinted of starting from tomorrow.

He also appealed the general public not to blame the employees of the department when functioning of water supply schemes stopped.

“We are remaining silent despite having various grievances in discharging out duty in the interest of the public even though government fail to provide benefits to the employees included in the essential service,” he lamented.

This time, they were compelled to join the cease work strike as even one month had completed to the cease work strike of the employees, government is remaining as silent spectator, he added.

On the other hand, the striking JAC, in a statement today threatened that they will intensified their stir as government is not responded till date stating that government had and has been depriving rights of its employees by not giving benefits that are deem to enjoy as employees.

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