VIJAYAWADA: Taking the cue from Telangana, the Andhra Pradesh government has decided to cut the salaries of employees by 50 per cent this month in the wake of the precarious financial situation arising out of the spread of COVID-19.
During a meeting with leaders of employees’ unions on Tuesday, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy detailed the financial situation and sought their cooperation.
Sources said the government will cut the salaries of IAS officials by 60 per cent, class IV employees by 10 per cent and the remaining employees by 50 per cent. Similar is the case with the pensions of senior citizens. While there will be a reduction of 10 per cent in pensions to retired Class IV employees, the rest will receive a 50 per cent cut.
Sources said though the employees’ union leaders including Amaravati JAC, APNGOs and Secretariat Employees Association appealed to the government to pay full wages this month, or reduce only 30 per cent from NGOs and 40 per cent from gazetted-rank officers, the government decided to go ahead with its plan, a union leader who participated in the discussion told TNIE. An order to this effect is likely to be released by Wednesday, the leader said.