Left To Seek Changes To Pay Panel Report

The United Front government will have a tight-rope walk in terms of accepting the recommendations of the fifth pay commission, as the Left parties have indicated that they would pressurise the government not to accept the report in its present form.

Left parties want that the government should first have a dialogue with the grieving government employeees who have expressed dissatisfaction with the report.

Left leaders point out that different criteria have been used for recommending pay hike to different categories of employees. The pay hike at the top level employees is based on the present consumption pattern in the country, whereas for the class three and four employees, the net national product is the criterion, they point out.

Consequently, while the hike suggested for top level government servants is 53 per cent, it is a paltry 13 per cent for class four employees, CPI secretary D Raja says.

He adds that the rate of annual increment suggested for class one employees works out to three per cent against a mere 1.6 per cent for class four employees.

Left leaders say that the report is just recommendatory in nature and hence they will put pressure on the government not to accept such elitist reports.

The CPI(M) is equally critical of the recommendations and says that the report is lopsided in providing benefits to the employees as a whole. The lower categories in service are provided lesser benefits while some inessential allowances are made for the higher categories of officers.

CPI(M) politbureau has also criticised the report for suggesting a phase-out of lower class employees.

It also adds that the some of the suggestions made in the report on a 30 per cent cut in the present workforce and other measures will exacerbate unemployment, a problem which has been aggravated by the policy of liberalisation.