Strike Impasse (November 9)

The cease work strikes launched by the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of Government employees and members of the secretariat service entered 23rd day today. The demands raised by the strikers are among other regular salary and payment of house rent and transport allowances. The Government had announced the cut in the allowances for an initial period of six months, after the State had plunged into a serious fiscal crisis. 

Now the six months have lapsed and the Government announced further cut for an indefinite period of time, as the financial situation is turning from bad to worse instead of getting an improvement. This has enraged the employees, who have not been getting their salaries regularly. Demanding regular pay and the allowances the employees went on an indefinite cease work strike. Talks have been held between the Government and the strikers, but all the talks ended in a deadlock.

While the Government is maintaining that it has no means to pay the allowances at the moment the strikers are adamant that they will not resume their duties until and unless their demands are fulfilled. The constitution of a committee of officers to look into the demand for payment of the allowances has not satisfied the employees. Majority of the employees have been refusing to accept it without house rent and transport allowances. This is despite the plea by the Government that it has no money to pay the allowances this year. 

However, it has promised to implement a "package" to be formulated by the officers' committee, with effect from April 1 next year. This assurance has also failed to pacify the agitators. The Government has agreed that the demands raised by the employees are justified and it is willing to pay regular salaries and allowances. The only problem is that the Government has no cash to pay them. 

As the information Secretary S. Budhachandra has pointed out the State has been borrowing from the Center and the RBI to pay the salaries and other expenses. Naturally overdraft has become a permanent feature. It will be borrowing again even if the employees end strike and accept salaries without house rent and transport allowances.

If the employees refuse to budge their stand, the cease work strike will go on for months, if not years. If this is indeed the case, the functioning of the Government will come to a complete halt. And if members of essential services like power and water supply join the cease work strike, people will make to suffer. There will be no water supply and drinking water. 

We are facing hard times and solution calls for harsh measures. To improve the situation and find a solution to the present crisis each and everyone living in Manipur including the employees will have to make sacrifices. The Government will have to cut expenditure drastically and check pilfering of expensive items like fuel. To put in a nutshell we need concerted efforts to tackle the problem.

(Courtesy: The Sangai Express)

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