Dimapur, March 18 (EMN): The All Nagaland School Teachers’ Association (ANSTA) has called the demand of the Confederation of All Nagaland State Services Employees’ Association (CANSSEA), seeking implementation of the 7th Revision of Pay (RoP) from March 1, 2017, as “very genuine and reasonable.”
The ANSTA issued a press release on Saturday demanding that the “cabinet council” review its decision concerning the effective date for implementation of said RoP as demanded by the CANSSEA.
The ANSTA referred to the “history of pay revision” where the Nagaland government has been “lagging behind” by two or more years in every pay revision. For instance, the 5th ROP “has taken place” only in 1998 after a loss of 2 years; the centre implemented it in 1996.
Likewise, the association stated, the 6th ROP could be implemented only in 2008 as opposed to the central government’s implementation in 2006. “Now the central government employees have been granted 7th ROP as per the recommendation of the 7th Pay Commission since August 2016. Due to pay revision of central employees, inflation has flared up since August last year in the whole country where north eastern states especially Nagaland is severely affected as it import essential commodities more,” the ANSTA reminded in the statement.
‘For which CANSSEA should have fight for implementation of 7th ROP in toto with the central pay revision. However in view of the difficult financial position of state government, it might have softened its stand and demanded it be effective from 1st March 2017.’
The ANSTA asserted that the demand of the CANSSEA was therefore “very genuine and reasonable as it has been placed before the authority keeping in view of the financial constraint of state government.”
For that reason, the ANSTA declared, the cabinet should review its decision taken on March 11 2017 concerning the effective date for implementation of the 7th ROP from March 1 2018 and make it with effect from March 1 2017 as demanded by the CANSSEA.
The association also recalled that in the year 2010 when the CANSSEA had launched agitations demanding implementation of the 6th ROP in totality with the central pay revision, the Cabinet Sub-Committee was constituted by the state’s government. A memorandum of understanding was signed between the government represented by chief secretary, and the CANSSEA represented by its president on June 29.
“As per MOU point no.4, regarding effective date for implementation of the 7th ROP, it has been agreed unanimously that ‘in due time views of CANSSEA will be taken into consideration in this regard,’” the press release stated.
“Now the views of CANSSEA for implementation of 7th ROP is, it should be with effect from 1st March 2017 which has to be considered as far as last agreement is concerned.”
Many prominent members of the then cabinet sub-committee are the “living witnesses of the said MOU signed as many of them are still in the present ministry,” the statement said. These include the present chief minister, Dr. Shurhozelie Liezietsu, who was then the minister for Urban Development and a member of cabinet sub-committee, the ANSTA pointed out.
“As stated above, since the demand made by the CANSSEA is genuine and realistic, the ANSTA shall back it till the issue has come to a logical end,” the organisation assured.
The association has urged the CANSSEA “not to move even an inch from the present demand as it is a legitimate one.” The teachers have requested them to have wider consultations with all its federating units “so as to have an effective and fruitful agitation towards common goal.”
