As Bommai announces interim pay hike, Karnataka government employees withdraw indefinite strike

Interim pay hike

With the 2023 Assembly polls nearing, the protest from the government employees had become a big headache for the Karnataka government.

Bommai has announced the pay hike on the basic salary after a series of meetings with the association.

After meeting with KSGEA, Bommai told reporters: “After having a detailed discussion with the office-bearers of the KSGEA and the officials of the Finance Department, we have come to an agreement. We have agreed to provide a 17 percent interim pay hike.”

He added that a committee has been set up under the additional chief secretary to carry out a detailed study on the financial repercussions and implications of the OPS wherever it has been implemented.

Also read: Karnataka agrees to implement 7th Pay Commission interim report

He continued: “These were the two demands placed by the association before the government, and we have fulfilled them. We have also asked them to withdraw their protest at the earliest.”

The interim pay hike is for employees of the government, affiliated institutions, aided educational institutions, and non-teaching staff in universities.

The interim pay hike has also been extended to the retired employees of the government and aided educational institutions and families of the retired employees that are receiving pensions. This will be implemented from 1 April.

However, the interim pay hike will not be applicable to government employees who draw salaries as per the payscales of the University Grants Commission, All India Council for Technical Education, Indian Council for Agriculture Research, National Judicial Pay Commission and NJPC pensioners.

ರಾಜ್ಯದ ಸರ್ಕಾರಿ ನೌಕರರ ಸಂಘದ ಅಧ್ಯಕ್ಷರು, ಪದಾಧಿಕಾರಿಗಳೊಂದಿಗೆ ಚರ್ಚಿಸಿದ ನಂತರ ಹಣಕಾಸು ಅಧಿಕಾರಿಗಳೊಂದಿಗೆ ಸಹ ಚರ್ಚಿಸಿ, ರಾಜ್ಯ ಸರ್ಕಾರಿ ನೌಕರರಿಗೆ , ಮೂಲ ವೇತನದ ಶೇ.17ರಷ್ಟು ಮಧ್ಯಂತರ ಪರಿಹಾರವನ್ನು ಮಂಜೂರು ಮಾಡಲು ಆದೇಶಿಸಲಾಗಿದೆ. ಎನ್.ಪಿ.ಎಸ್ ಕುರಿತಂತೆ ಸಮಿತಿಯೊಂದನ್ನು ರಚಿಸಿ, ಅದರ ವರದಿಯನುಸಾರ ಕ್ರಮ ಕೈಗೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತೇವೆ. pic.twitter.com/tsrgCtf86B

— CM of Karnataka (@CMofKarnataka) March 1, 2023

Also read: OPS becomes talking point in poll-bound Karnataka

“The National Pension Scheme (NPS) was implemented for the government employees in Karnataka from 1 April, 2006. In many states, the respective governments eschewed the NPS and implemented the OPS. The KSGEA  demanded that the government implement the OPS,” according to the government.

“A committee has been set up under the headship of the additional chief secretary to carry out a detailed study of those states where the OPS has been implemented. The committee has been directed to visit the states that have implemented the OPS and submit a detailed report within two months,” ordered the Bommai government.

Punjab, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, and Jharkhand have implemented the OPS.

Siddaramaiah lashes out  

Reacting to the Bommai government’s decision on the interim pay hike, Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah told reporters in Belagavi: “The state government did not utter a word about the 7th Pay Commission in the budget, and did not make any budgetary allocation. It is making false claims on the allocation of funds in the budget.”

He added: “I will hold talks with the KSGEA. The government has to immediately implement the interim report of the 7th Pay Commission. If it fails to do it, we will implement it after we come to power.”

He further said: “When I was in power, I had announced the 6th Pay Commission and implemented it before the announcement of the 2018 Assembly polls. I also made an additional budgetary allocation of ₹10,600 crore for the implementation of the 6th Pay Commission.”

Government employees withdraw protest

The KSGEA withdrew the protest immediately after the state government ordered the interim pay hike.

The decision was taken after the office-bearers of the association held a meeting in Bengaluru after their meeting with government respresentatives.

KSGEA president CS Shadakshari told reporters: “We have withdrawn the protest after the state government agreed to the 17 percent interim pay hike and setting up of a committee for the detailed study for the implementation of the OPS.”

He added: “The government has to fulfil our demand for a 40-percent pay hike. We have temporarily called off the protest. If the government fails to fulfil our demands, we will relaunch the protest.”

He also said that the implementation of the 7th Pay Commission recommendations would benefit over 15 lakh families in the state.

Many services affected

The government employees launched their indefinite strike on Wednesday morning. Many services — including health and education — were affected.

The government employees remained absent from work and state-run schools and colleges declared a holiday across the state.

Offices in Vidhana Soudha remain locked up as government employees go on strike demanding 7th Pay commission. Talks between staff Union & govt failed last night. Some 6 lakh government employees on strike. pic.twitter.com/GX3Rdf6Hg9

— Anusha Ravi Sood (@anusharavi10) March 1, 2023

Transport services like state-operated transport corporations, emergency health services in many hospitals and intermediate examinations were not affected in many parts of the state.

However, no untoward incident was reported due to the strike by government employees in the state.