DIBRUGARH, Oct 27 - The All Assam District Administration Employees� Union has threatened to boycott the ensuing panchayat polls in the State so as to compel the latter to consider their long-pending 14-point charter of demands.
The union, whose top demand is to get their pay and grade pay increased on par with the employees of Assam Secretariat, said that their work load is no less than those in the Secretariat. �In fact the workload of the employees of the DC�s office is greater than those serving in the Assam Secretariat. As per situation we also work overtime. We are also engaged round the clock during floods, during elections and for updating the NRC and Aadhaar etc. Nevertheless, we are treated as inferior, particularly in terms of pay. Our demand is that we must be paid at par with those in the Secretariat,� Anju Bora Dutta, acting president of the union told newsmen immediately after holding its central executive committee meeting at the complex of Deputy Commissioner�s office here today.
The functioning of all Deputy Commissioner offices, sub-divisional offices and circle offices in the State will also be paralysed for about seven days in two phases in the month of November following a non-cooperation called by the union. The first phase of the non-cooperation will be for three days from November 1 to 3 and in the event of failure of the government to respond positively, the second non-cooperation will be launched from November 12 to 16, the union leaders told newsmen. Dutta said that the union was compelled to take to the path of agitation path as the government was indifferent to their demands.
Some of the major demands of the union include hike in the grade pay for junior assistant of amalgamated DC office to Rs 8700, enhancement of minimum qualification for recruitment of process server to Higher Secondary level and hike in the pay and grade pay accordingly, withdrawal of the proposed transfer posting of the employees to other districts and retention of the IV grade employees among others.
Bikramjit Chakravorty, general secretary, All Assam District Administration Employees� Union said that on several occasions the union had sought appointment with the Chief Minister and Finance Minister but they have been ignored all the time. �We have no other choice than to launch the non-cooperation movement to draw the attention of the government,� said Chakravorty. Jayanta Bhandar Kayastha, Ramen Barman, Ranjan Roy Dongia also addressed newsmen.
