State secretariat employees in Himachal Pradesh stage protest against pending DA and pay scale arrears

Shimla, 21 August: Discontent among state employees has reached a boiling point as members of the Himachal Pradesh Secretariat Service Association took to the streets on Wednesday to protest non-payment of dearness allowance (DA) and revised arrears for the sixth pay scale. The protest was held at the Armsdale Bhawan within the state secretariat, drawing people’s attention to the ongoing grievances of employees.

The protest highlighted several issues that have been troubling them for months. A primary concern was the alarming number of vacant posts in the secretariat. “Around 750 posts are lying vacant in the secretariat, increasing the workload on existing employees. Despite this, no effort has been made to resolve the long-pending pay fixation issues,” said Sanjeev Sharma, president of the Himachal Pradesh Secretariat Service Association.

Another major issue was the non-release of revised seniority list for employees working on contract basis. The delay in releasing this list has led to uncertainty and frustration among many employees, who are unsure about their future in service.

However, the biggest grievance is the non-payment of revised DA-arrears and pay scale arrears. Sharma pointed out that during the tenure of the previous government, employees received a mere Rs 50,000 in the name of pay arrears, which was not enough to cover the revised amount due to them. “The lack of adequate payment has led to widespread discontent among employees. We have been waiting for these arrears for a long time and our patience is running out,” he said.

The protest at the secretariat underlines the growing unrest among government employees in Himachal Pradesh, who feel that their concerns are being ignored. The Mahasangh has demanded immediate action from the state government to resolve these issues and ensure that employees receive their rightful dues.

The state government is yet to issue any response to the demands. However, the employees have made it clear that they will continue to press for their rights until their grievances are addressed.