VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh Government Employees Federation has said it did not go to court seeking for salary dues for March and April with 12 per cent interest. It added that it would discuss the issue with the committee members before filing an appeal.
In a press release, federation chairman K Venkatarami Reddy and secretary general Arava Paul said the government decided to give staff only 50 per cent of their salaries for March and April after discussing the same with employees’ unions. “Some people might have suffered due to this and may have gone to court and got a verdict in their favour. But we want to make it clear that we have not entrusted anyone to represent us in court,” they said. The federation also asked how government employees could expect 12 per cent interest on their salary dues when soldiers guarding the borders have donated one third of their salaries for Covid-19 relief work, and Central Revenue employees are donating a day’s pay every month for a year to the PM Cares fund. It also pointed out that it urged the government to clear the salary dues in three-four instalments and the request is under consideration.
Venkatarami Reddy and Arava Paul said governments of other States too have deferred payment of salaries (partly) to cope with the economic fallout of the Covid19-induced lockdown. “Our government paid salaries from March 25 to May 21, if people attended duties or not despite facing financial problems. The employees would be at a loss if the government says it would pay salaries as per their attendance,” they said. The AP High Court had on Tuesday struck down the GOs deferring payment of 50 per cent of salaries to government employees for March and April and 50% amount to pensioners for March.