The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Central PSU employees observe hunger strike

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, May 11, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Central PSU employees observe hunger strike

Staff Reporter

They demanded merger of 50 % of Industrial Dearness Allowance with basic pay

CHENNAI : Employees of central public sector undertakings (PSUs) in Chennai observed a day-long hunger strike on Thursday demanding merger of 50 per cent of Industrial Dearness Allowance (IDA) with basic pay.

More than 200 employees, a majority of them members of the telecom union — Sanchar Nigam Executives Association — took part in the protest organised in front of the office of the Chief General Manager, BSNL Chennai Telephones.

The strike call was given nation-wide by the National Confederation of Officers' Association of Central PSUs (NCOA).

According to NCOA, though the Wage Revision Committee had taken a favourable view on merging 50 per cent of IDA with the basic pay for central PSUs, a final decision on the matter was getting postponed inordinately.

The NCOA said though the revised rates were already in place for other Central Government employees, the Finance Ministry was taciturn in approving of a similar merger structure for Central PSUs.

Speedy clearance sought

Activists said the irony in their case was complete as even their respective PSU managements were willing to fork out the revised rates. Through the protest, the NCOA sought to expedite the Finance Ministry's clearance of the proposal.

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