Published May 06, 2023 | 3:51 PM ⚊ Updated May 06, 2023 | 3:51 PM
Representatives of the Andhra Pradesh government employees' unions at a meeting with ministers on 7 March, 2023. (Supplied)
The AP Government Employees Association (APGEA) has served a notice to the government on its phase-wise agitation — beginning on 22 May — for the fulfillment of the employees’ demands.
The APGEA alleged that the government has acted vindictively whenever it has raised employee-related issues.
The state has held back several financial benefits that are due to the employees, which resulted in the accumulation of arrears amounting to thousands of crores of rupees, the association charged.
APGEA president KR Suryanarayana said that the situation has reached a stage where the employees do not know when their salaries would be credited into their accounts.
On top of this, the government has withdrawn ₹480 crore in March last year from the General Provident Fund (GPF) accounts of the employees, which is a crime, he contended.
Suryanarayana added that the government has failed to honour its commitment to hike the dearness allowance (DA) and the wages of the outsourced employees, as well as to regularise the services of contract workers.
Apart from this, the government has turned vengeful towards employees because they have been questioning the government on the injustice done to them, he said.
He said that the APGEA has made it clear in the notice — served on the General Administration Department — that the government should make arrangements for payment of the financial benefits due to the employees. It is not an act of charity on the part of the government, but a right of the employees, he said.
The APGEA president also added that the employees would take up agitations across the state till 31 October and, later, they would go on strike on any day.
The agitations will begin with relay hunger strikes from 22 May.
On 2 October, the employees would resort to a satyagraha at statues of Mahatma Gandhi across the state, and on 31 October, there would be a huge public meeting in Vijayawada.
