THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Brushing aside the protest raised by the opposition and service organisations against a mandatory salary cut for government employees, the state cabinet on Wednesday decided to go ahead with the plan of collecting a month’s salary from government employees, teachers, university staff and state public sector unit employees. The amount would be collected in equal instalments for a period of five months.
Announcing the cabinet decision at his news conference, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the government was not in a position to heed to the protests against salary cut. “Proportionate salary for six days of a month will be deducted when salary payment is made. In this fashion, 30 days’ salary would be cut in five months. This would be applicable to government employees, teachers, university staff, employees of state public sector units and government undertakings. However, employees drawing less than Rs 20,000 a month would be exempted from the compulsory deduction,” the CM said.
Seeking the wholehearted cooperation of all employees, Vijayan said willingness or refusal of employees towards the salary cut were immaterial in the context of the financial crisis the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown have thrust upon the state. The salary and honorarium of ministers, MLAs, board members, elected members of local self-government institutions would also be cut by 30% for a period of one year.
However, considering the nature of work that Asha workers carry out to collect Covid-related data from households, the government would give them an additional incentive of Rs 1,000. As many as 26,475 Asha workers would benefit from the decision.
Meanwhile, Kerala government medical officers’ association and Kerala government medical college teachers’ association had appealed to the government to exempt health professionals from the salary cut and warned of protests if failed to do so.
“Health professionals are the frontline warriors fighting the pandemic. The government move to cut their salaries at a time when they are engaged in selfless service is highly deplorable. The government move is highly regrettable and it goes against the practice that governments in other states have now adopted to encourage and honour the health workers,” said KGMOA in a statement on Wednesday.
Announcing the cabinet decision at his news conference, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the government was not in a position to heed to the protests against salary cut. “Proportionate salary for six days of a month will be deducted when salary payment is made. In this fashion, 30 days’ salary would be cut in five months. This would be applicable to government employees, teachers, university staff, employees of state public sector units and government undertakings. However, employees drawing less than Rs 20,000 a month would be exempted from the compulsory deduction,” the CM said.
Seeking the wholehearted cooperation of all employees, Vijayan said willingness or refusal of employees towards the salary cut were immaterial in the context of the financial crisis the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown have thrust upon the state. The salary and honorarium of ministers, MLAs, board members, elected members of local self-government institutions would also be cut by 30% for a period of one year.
However, considering the nature of work that Asha workers carry out to collect Covid-related data from households, the government would give them an additional incentive of Rs 1,000. As many as 26,475 Asha workers would benefit from the decision.
Meanwhile, Kerala government medical officers’ association and Kerala government medical college teachers’ association had appealed to the government to exempt health professionals from the salary cut and warned of protests if failed to do so.
“Health professionals are the frontline warriors fighting the pandemic. The government move to cut their salaries at a time when they are engaged in selfless service is highly deplorable. The government move is highly regrettable and it goes against the practice that governments in other states have now adopted to encourage and honour the health workers,” said KGMOA in a statement on Wednesday.
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