Manipur Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh has reiterated that his government has no capacity to include arrears while recommending the 6th Pay Commission in the State due to lack of adequate financial resources.
Briefing the media soon after a State Cabinet meeting here on Thursday afternoon, Ibobi said that the Cabinet minutely discussed the demands of the striking employees with inputs from financial experts and thereafter decided to exclude the arrears. “We are not reluctant to award the employees’ demand,” he said. “So we once again appeal the employees to rethink and reconsider their steps and withdraw the strike,” he added.
Over 60,000 State government employees under the banner of the Joint Administrative Council of All Manipur Government Employees’ Organisation and All Manipur Trade Union Council are on a cease work strike since January 16 last demanding implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations in the State should also include payment of arrears.
The Chief Minister further explained that an additional amount of Rs 69.68 crore was required to meet the State’s monthly expenditure of Rs 292.28 crore against the monthly income of Rs 222.61 crore.
JAC Secretary Th Chandramani has, however, said that Chief Minister’s appeal failed to convince the striking employees. “He (Ibobi) has been saying this since the beginning of our strike,” Chandramani said when contacted over phone. “Why is he not ready to sit with us and discuss it (the issue). This hints of some hidden agenda of thegovernment,” he opined.
