• State Cabinet urges for calling off protest
• CANSSEA informs that protest will continue
DIMAPUR, MARCH 27 (MExN): The functioning of government offices, including the Nagaland State Civil Secretariat was affected today as state government employees resorted to a pen down agitation demanding implementation of the 7th Revision of Pay (ROP).
The agitation was undertaken by the state service associations as the state government failed to implement the 7th ROP from March 1, 2017.
The Confederation of All Nagaland State Service Employees’ Association (CANSSEA) today informed that the state service associations have decided to continue the ongoing pen down agitation.
A press note from the CANSSEA said: “the members felt that the government is not sincere to the request of the associations for implementation of 7th ROP.” It further observed that the government has not conveyed any decision except for its request to call off the agitation.
The Nagaland State Cabinet appealed to state government employees against going on a pen down strike. The cabinet held a meeting on March 27 and expressed concern over the ongoing pen down strike by the state government employees announced since March 25as per the press release issued by CANSSEA on the issue of implementation of 7th ROP.
The Cabinet Sub Committee briefed the Cabinet of the discussions held by it on the same issue with representatives of CANSSEA and the various State Services Associations on March 26, a day earlier, the government informed. “After thorough deliberation, the Cabinet decided to make an appeal to the striking Government employees to withdraw their strike as the Cabinet Sub Committee has been constituted to look into their demands and the dialogue needs to be continued. The Cabinet also directed the Cabinet Sub-Committee to meet the CANSSEA representatives immediately after the Budget Session for an amicable resolution of the issue,” it added.
The Cabinet has asked all state government employees to call off their pen down strike and allow the smooth functioning of the offices. It further requested CANSSEA and the various state services associations to carry on the process of dialogue with the Cabinet Sub Committee for resolving their issues.
The All Nagaland School Teachers Association (ANSTA) meanwhile stated that the Nagaland government has been lagging behind by two or more years in its implementation of every pay revision.
A press note from the ANSTA said that if the Nagaland government is “determined to deprive its employees of the 7th ROP, it will be a tremendous loss in one’s service career of the Nagaland Government employees.”
It noted that with the introduction of the 7th ROP for central employees, inflation has flared up in the whole country since last year thereby severely affecting the State of Nagaland in particular as it imports more essential commodities compared to other states.
In such a situation, if Nagaland government has not granted the 7th ROP to its employees in due time, the state employees would be facing twice the price rise in one Pay Revision due to difference in its implementation date, which may likely lead them to economic crisis in the near future, the ANSTA stated. In light of this, it urged the state government to implement the 7th ROP from this year onwards.
It further stated that salary is the sole sustaining source of teachers and added that every pay revision made after every 10 years is crucial for teaching community and the present 7th ROP issue being demanded by CANSSEA on behalf of all state employees is a genuine one.
It meanwhile urged the CANSSEA to be “firm on its demand as it is a legitimate demand in which every government servant of the state is in support of it and behind the fight.”
The Nagaland Finance and Accounts Service Association has also decided to support the demand of the CANSSEA, and participated in the pen down agitation. “The NF&ASA will participate in the ongoing agitation till the genuine demands are made to bring justice to the state government employees of Nagaland,” a press note from the association said.
It asked all members to cooperate and participate in the agitation, while cautioning that “strict action will be initiated against the defaulters of the order.”
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