The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Madurai News : Pay arrears in cash, say union members

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Wednesday, Sep 10, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Madurai

Pay arrears in cash, say union members

Staff Reporter

“Disburse amount before Puja holidays”

MADURAI: Members of the Southern Railway Mazdoor Union staged a demonstration here on Friday in protest against the railway administration’s decision to pay wage arrears through cheque or electronic clearing system (ECS).

It demanded that the arrears should be paid only by cash. It also called for disbursal of the amount without any delay and said that the payment should reach the employees before Puja holidays.

SRMU Madurai divisional secretary J.M. Rafi said that recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission were obtained after much struggle.

The arrears were to be disbursed in two phases: 40 per cent in the current financial year and rest in the next.

If the arrears were paid by cheque or ECS, bank accounts were needed for encashing them and not all employees had one.

Further, while the present Government policy was to deposit the salary in nationalised banks, if a future Government decided to opt for private banks, railway employees would have no guarantee for their money, he said.

Hundreds of union members from the Madurai division participated in the protest.

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