The stalemate in the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) over the agitation by the employees continued today despite efforts by the newly formed executive committee to offer five months’ salary arrears as a mark of good faith.
In a press note, Chief Executive Member Benedict Marak expressed disappointment that the Non Gazetted Employees Association (NGEA) members were unwilling to relent on the issue and come back to work to help ease the financial mess that the council is in. The strike by the employees has apparently led to there being only Rs 96 lakh left in the GHADC’s coffers.
The employees have been demanding at least 12 months’ pay on the new pay scale, along with the transfer of the current secretary, Rikse R Marak. While Rikse has sent a reminder to the state government asking to be relieved of her duties, the CEM could only promise five months’ pay, albeit at the old scale, to the employees.
Meanwhile, in a letter to Benedict today, Tura MDC Bernard Marak thanked the CEM for initiating to pay the five months of arrears but requested the latter for this to be paid to the employees according to the new scale, as, Bernard said, had been approved by the last EC in 2018.
Benedict had first offered three months’ dues after assuming the role of CEM last month. That offer was rejected by the NGEA and Benedict’s further meetings with other stakeholders led nowhere.
The CEM said it was not possible to clear 12 months’ worth of dues because of the dire financial situation in the GHADC. However, the NGEA stuck to its guns.
It was only after all attempts to resolve the situation were made, and failed, that the employees were ordered, on May 5, to report to work within three days or face action.
“We need time to work on a solution to clear the pending dues of the employees and this can only be done once work in the GHADC is resumed by them,” the CEM said.
That order was then set aside to facilitate another meeting between the parties, but still no solution has been found.
“Our genuine intentions to resolve the situation has failed as the NGEA has once again changed its stance by stressing on their demand for 12 months dues to be cleared even after the removal of the secretary,” Benedict added.
