Employees not happy with hike, threaten to go on strike

The Commission had recommended a 23.55 per cent overall hike in salaries, allowances and pension involving an additional burden of Rs 1.02 lakh crore, or nearly 0.7 per cent of GDP. However, within hours of news of Cabinet approval, the Confederation of Central Government Employees said the 7th Central Pay Commission’s recommendations were “not acceptable” in view of the prevailing economic conditions. 

They threatened to advance by a week an indefinite strike to press their demand for revising the hike. “In the prevailing economic conditions, the proposed hike as per the Pay Commission is inadequate. It is not acceptable to us,” M Duraipandian, General Secretary, Confederation of Central Government Employees (CCGE) and Workers, Tamil Nadu, said. “If the government does not heed our demand (on revising the hike), we will be forced to advance the indefinite strike call to July 4 instead of July 11,” he told reporters. Earlier, the confederation members staged a demonstration at Rajaji Bhavan here, home to several government offices. 

The recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission, which got the Cabinet approval as expected, will benefit over one crore government employees and pensioners. The decision to this effect was taken in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The pay panel in November last year had recommended a 14.27 per cent hike in basic pay at junior levels – the lowest in 70 years.  The Commission had now recommended an overall hike in allowances and pension involving an additional burden of Rs 1.02 lakh crore, or nearly 0.7 per cent of GDP.