Fresh base pay effective from April 1, 2024, seniority allowances and annual increment for employees
SHILLONG, AUG 20: The indefinite sit-in-demonstration called by the All Meghalaya SSA Non Teaching Staffs’ Association (AMSSANTSA) has been withdrawn after the state government approved the enhancement of their salaries, on Tuesday.
The protest, which lasted for 21 days, led to the approval of a fresh base pay by the Rationalisation Committee on Monday which will be effective from April 1, 2024 and will be reviewed after a minimum of 5 years.
Commissioner & Secretary, Education Vijay Mantri on Tuesday said all the existing staff will be considered for 2 per cent seniority allowance for each year of service rendered as on April 1, 2024. The panel also recommended thorough validation of databases for all staff from the district offices before sending the final proposal. Any left out category of non-teaching staff should also be taken into account before putting up the final proposal to the department , he added.
The State Project Director, SSA has also been directed to consider the recommendation of the Rationalisation Committee for an annual increment of 5 per cent on the base pay given each year starting from 2025-26 and explore the possibility of enrolling SSA non-teaching staff in EPFO for Provident Fund benefits besides arranging for SSA non-teaching staff to be included in the Meghalaya Health Insurance Scheme (MHIS).
The state government also asked other departments to provide additional support or honorarium for assigning duties to the non-teaching SSA staff and ensure regular release of contingency/office expenses and funds for items such as furniture besides adequate working space/buildings be provided at the Cluster and Block levels for BRPs, CRPs and other SSA staff.
Satisfied over the outcome of the sit-in, AMSSANTSA president Jennyfer Synrem announced their decision to call off the protest after achieving their demands. “Although we are not getting 80 per cent salary enhancement, we are satisfied in view of the fact that the government has decided to streamline the system,” she said.
“The Rationalisation Committee, in which we are also members of, has to a great extent addressed the gap in the pay structure. We are now getting salaries based on seniority unlike in the past, a newly joined staff would have the same salary structure as someone working for 18 years,” she said.
Thanking the government under the leadership of Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma for addressing their issues, she said “We need not come out to the street to protest anymore”
