Punjab-Himachal Pradesh Pay Commission award against majority employees – CPI(M)

Shimla: Communist Party of India Marxist (CPIM) held the Punjab and Himachal government responsible for a lopsided award of the 5th Pay commission that deprives majority of the employees of equitable benefits.

“Both government have connived with the pay commission to provide maximum benefits to officer class, who have a basic scale of Rs 14,300 and above,” says Tikender Panwar, member state secretariat CPI(M).

He went onto add, “Whereas the lower salaried employees who constitute 85% of the work force have been denied equitable benefits by holding that 50 % of the budget was being spent on the salaries of these employees.”

Piece meal release of the 5th Pay Commission report was done to divert attention for effecting recoveries from lower salaried class, says the party.

Citing the 4th Pay commission award, Panwar claimed that the new commission ignored uniformity of increasing scales across the board and has discriminated between higher and lower paid employees.

Salaries of politicians and bureaucrats have been hiked three time over from what existed salary, and CPI(M) seeks that the increase should be uniform across all employee sections.

The party has also sought restoration of the 4-9-14 years assured career progression scheme as well as increase in house rent allowance for employees from the existing 10% to 30%, what was being handed by central government for its employees.

Ravinder Makhaik

As Editor, Ravinder Makhaik leads the team of media professionals at Hill Post.

In a career spanning over two decades through all formats of journalism in Electronic, Print and Online Media, he brings with him enough experience to steer this platform. He lives in Shimla.