Tura, Sept 11: Chief Executive Member of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council, Albinush Marak, has held a crucial meet with church leaders and several Garo groups today to apprise them about the current standoff in the council where the employees are on strike demanding a new pay scale while authorities, citing financial constraints, favor the old salary structure for release of three months pending dues.
The outcome of the meeting was inconclusive and is being carried over to Thursday to which leaders of the agitating Non Gazetted Employees Association are also expected to attend.
“We had the meeting with church leaders and heads of various organizations to make aware the current position of the GHADC. We are carrying forward today’s discussions to Thursday and have invited the leaders of the NGEA to also participate,” informed CEM Albinush Marak while speaking to The Meghalayan Express.
Work has been severely disrupted in the district council for the past three weeks due to the employees strike and, despite attempts by the authorities to end the deadlock, nothing substantial has taken place, prompting the CEM to reach out to civil society groups to try and break the ice with the warring employees.
The CEM invited the General Secretary of the ABDK Rev. Dilseng Sangma, Rev. Don Bosco College principal, Fr. Janurius Sangma, Tura Senior Citizens Forum leaders, and heads of the Garo Students Union- central executive committee, the FKJGP and the Association for Democracy and Empowerment, among others.
The employees have pending salaries of 34 months and the Executive Committee had announced release of three months due under the old 4th pay structure that has been rejected by the employees who demand salary payment under the new 5th pay scale.
Council authorities have given an order announcing salary disbursement under the new scale only from January 2025, which is something the agitating employees are not keen to accept.
