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West Bengal government employees could see movement on long-pending dearness allowance (DA) dues and future salary-related benefits after employee representatives said Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari assured them that the Supreme Court's directions on DA payments would be implemented.
The assurance came during a meeting between the state government and leaders of the Joint Struggle Forum of State Government Employees at the state secretariat on Monday.
According to the forum, the chief minister said the government would comply with the Supreme Court's February ruling that described dearness allowance as a legally enforceable right and directed the state to pay pending DA dues for the 2008-2019 period.
Forum convenor Bhaskar Ghosh said the government had assured payment of 25% of the arrears in line with the court's directions and had asked senior officials, including the chief secretary and finance secretary, to begin the implementation process.
Employee representatives said discussions would continue on the remaining arrears, as differences remain over the percentage and timeline of payments.
The meeting also addressed the gap between DA rates paid to Central and West Bengal government employees.
According to employee representatives, Central government employees currently receive DA at 60%, while state government employees receive 18%.
The chief minister reportedly assured that the gap would be narrowed in phases, with employees expecting further clarity in the state budget scheduled for June 22.
Another key issue discussed was the implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations. The forum said the chief minister committed to rolling out the recommendations from January next year.
On employment, the government is expected to announce a recruitment policy by June 7, with around 50,000 appointments targeted by December, according to employee representatives.
The discussions also covered pay disparities affecting different categories of state employees, including temporary workers. Employee leaders said the government proposed a framework for regular consultations with staff organisations and assured consideration of issues raised by employees.
The forum further claimed that the chief minister assured the reinstatement of employees who had been suspended for participating in protest programmes.
-With PTI inputs
The assurance came during a meeting between the state government and leaders of the Joint Struggle Forum of State Government Employees at the state secretariat on Monday.
According to the forum, the chief minister said the government would comply with the Supreme Court's February ruling that described dearness allowance as a legally enforceable right and directed the state to pay pending DA dues for the 2008-2019 period.
Forum convenor Bhaskar Ghosh said the government had assured payment of 25% of the arrears in line with the court's directions and had asked senior officials, including the chief secretary and finance secretary, to begin the implementation process.
Employee representatives said discussions would continue on the remaining arrears, as differences remain over the percentage and timeline of payments.
The meeting also addressed the gap between DA rates paid to Central and West Bengal government employees.
According to employee representatives, Central government employees currently receive DA at 60%, while state government employees receive 18%.
The chief minister reportedly assured that the gap would be narrowed in phases, with employees expecting further clarity in the state budget scheduled for June 22.
Another key issue discussed was the implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations. The forum said the chief minister committed to rolling out the recommendations from January next year.
On employment, the government is expected to announce a recruitment policy by June 7, with around 50,000 appointments targeted by December, according to employee representatives.
The discussions also covered pay disparities affecting different categories of state employees, including temporary workers. Employee leaders said the government proposed a framework for regular consultations with staff organisations and assured consideration of issues raised by employees.
The forum further claimed that the chief minister assured the reinstatement of employees who had been suspended for participating in protest programmes.
-With PTI inputs
