Teachers under the banner of the Government Teachers’ Union have strongly criticised the government for linking the issue of pending dearness allowance (DA) with pay parity in its submission before the court. The union termed the move misleading and against the interests of government employees, stating that DA and pay parity are separate issues and should not be treated as interconnected.
Voicing their concerns, GTU Punjab state president Sukhwinder Singh Chahal, general secretary Gurbinder Singh Saskaur, finance secretary Manohar Lal Sharma and press secretary Karnail Phillaur said employees’ pay scales were implemented on the recommendations of various pay commissions and were not granted as a special concession by any government.
They argued that the payment of DA, which is meant to compensate employees for rising inflation, is a legitimate entitlement and should not be linked to pay parity while deciding the release of pending installments.
The union leaders said the stand taken by the Cabinet Sub-committee on DA, headed by Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema and comprising ministers Aman Arora and Dr Baljit Kaur, has sparked widespread resentment among government employees.
They urged the government to take immediate steps to release the pending DA installments and resolve long-pending financial demands of employees. The union further alleged that the government has failed to fully implement the recommendations of the pay commission, restore the old pension scheme, restart the rural border allowance and address issues related to Punjab pay scales.
It claimed that the delay in resolving these matters, coupled with the pending DA issue, has increased dissatisfaction among employees across the state.
Warning of intensified protests, the GTU said if the government does not take concrete steps to address employees’ financial and service-related grievances at the earliest, it will be compelled to launch a stronger state-level agitation in the coming days.
