By Express News Service
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Service organisations are an anxious lot as the last date for submitting the dissent note against the salary challenge launched by the government ends on Saturday.
The UDF-affiliated NGO Association estimates at least 40 per cent will abstain from the “forced collection” by the government. Bency, office-bearer of the Secretariat Employees Association, said more than 1,000 members of their association have already submitted the dissent note.
The Chief Minister’s Office said it was yet to receive information on the number of dissent notes received. “A final tally will be made by the Finance Department on Saturday evening,” said M V Jayarajan, Chief Minister’s private secretary.
He said the last date will not be extended as the Finance Department needs sufficient time ahead of the salary bill preparation. The government had asked employees to contribute a month’s gross salary in full or instalments as part of mobilising funds for flood relief activities. The order stated a month’s salary should be calculated based on the gross salary of September and should be given in instalments of a maximum of 10 months.
Meanwhile, Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala has again asked the government to withdraw from the “forced and undemocratic collection”. He alleged the government had not even spared government employees who were victims of the disaster. “Though the government claims there is no forced collection, it is not true. Employees were even manhandled for saying ‘no’ to the collection,” he said.Chennithala alleged workers of LDF-affiliated organisations were coercing those who gave dissent notes to withdraw them.
