Date:25/11/2004 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2004/11/25/stories/2004112502740500.htm

Andhra Pradesh

JAC threatens to obstruct `Pallebata'

By Our Staff Reporter

ANANTAPUR, NOV. 24. The Joint Action Committee of Employees, Teachers and Workers (JAC) staged a dharna in front of the collectorate here today to protest against the Government's indifference towards their long-pending demands. Members of the organisation sported black badges during the protest.

The State co-chairman of JAC, P. Subba Reddy, said that their demands were genuine and only two out of 11 had financial commitment.

But, the Government was neglecting other demands too, he alleged. The Government was also buying time on the issue of constituting Pay Revision Commission.

He stated that the JAC would lay siege to Parliament on December 7 with one lakh members and would submit a memorandum to the Lok Sabha speaker on their demands with one-crore signatures.

They would stage picketing and court arrests on December 11 and 12 and warned the Government that they would obstruct the Chief Minister's Pallebata programme if their problems were not resolved.

The district chairman of JAC, V. Gopal Reddy, the district convener, S. Jayaramappa and others spoke.

The demands of the JAC included interim allowance of 20 per cent on basic pay, withdrawal of contributory pension scheme, implementation of common service rules to teachers, payment of teachers' salaries through treasury and scrapping of work-charged employees system.

Besides, they also demanded payment of dearness allowance from July 1, 2004, implementation of LTC to panchayat raj teachers, stopping taking vehicles on hire by Government departments and others.