VIJAYAWADA: Indicating a possible end to the standoff between the State government and employees on the pay revision issue, both sides held talks on Friday. The talks between the leaders of the PRC Struggle Committee and a panel of ministers were still on at the time of going to press. The discussions began on the invitation of Principal Secretary (Finance-Services) Shashi Bhushan Kumar.
Earlier in the day, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy held a meeting with the ministers’ committee and took stock of the situation and the staff demands. The staff who had served strike notice, have been demanding the rollback of GOs issued for the implementation of the new pay scale as per the recommendations of the PRC. He directed the ministers to hold talks with the employees to resolve the issue.
Meanwhile, employees of the Secretariat at Velagapudi staged a pen-down protest on Friday. Though the PRC Struggle Committee has given a call for the protest on Saturday, the employees observed it a day earlier since they won’t be attending duties on Saturday because of the five-day work week. They asserted that they will participate in the indefinite strike call given by the PRC Struggle Committee.