Tura, Sep 2: A move by GHADC authorities to end the ongoing strike by hundreds of GHADC employees, demanding 34 months of pending salaries and implementation of a new 5th pay structure, has failed with the employees’ association outrightly rejecting their latest proposal that promises three months of salary disbursement and the new scale only from January 2025 onwards.
Two days after talks, mediated by West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner, took place between the GHADC authorities and the council’s Non-Gazetted Employees Association at Tura Circuit House, the proposal put forward by the GHADC Executive committee was brought before the striking employees by the NGEA leaders at Tura Government College students’ field, on Monday morning, where it received an overwhelming rejection.
The Executive Committee had given an assurance to clear three months pending salaries under the old 4th pay scale, while the long pending demand of employees for the new 5th pay structure would come into implementation from January 2025.
That proposal has been rejected by the striking employees who are demanding that the council authorities implement their proposed plan for salary disbursement, this month, solely under the 5th pay scale.
“I have heard that they (NGEA) have not accepted the proposal put forward by the EC. We will try and reach out to them to see reason,” said Chief Executive Member Albinush Marak who was away attending a special programme to commemorate the birth anniversary of Late P A Sangma at Tura district auditorium when the striking employees announced plans to reject the proposal and continue with their strike.
The two weeks’ protest by the council staff has paralyzed the functioning of the oldest autonomous council in Garo Hills that oversees land revenue and other important assets.
Council authorities are bracing for another week of shutdown with the employees adamant to continue their strike. The NGEA has applied and received clearance from the district administration to continue another round of silent sit-in demonstration, this week.
Striking employees are unwilling to back down from their demands given that the assurance for implementing the 5th pay scale was allegedly promised as way back as 2018.
