Employees, RTC staff anxious to get higher interim relief

Employees, teachers, and the staff of Road Transport Corporation are expecting an interim relief (IR) of 30%, which is 3% more than last time, of their basic pay when their unions are scheduled to complete negotiations with the Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on May 16.

The unions representing government employees and teachers have already concluded their talks with a Cabinet sub-committee which has even submitted its report to Mr. Rao on Friday evening while the RTC unions will meet the panel on Sunday.

Based on the recommendations of the sub-committee, the Chief Minister will take the final call.

Constitution of pay revision commissions (PRCs) and IR till the commissions made their recommendations were the main demands of both these sections of staff.

While the recommendations of PRC of government staff are valid for a period of five years, it is only four years in the case of RTC staff.

The constitution of PRC for government staff is due on July 1 this year but the deadline expired on April 1 last year for RTC employees.

Pending finalisation of the recommendations by the PRCs, the previous Congress government had fixed the interim relief for government as well as RTC staff at 27% in 2013.

After the TRS came to power in 2014, the fitment was fixed at 43% for government employees and 44% for RTC employees with effect from June 2, 2014, the State formation day.

The annual burden to government, only for the employees, was ₹ 6,500 crore, sources said.