Chandigarh, May 27
The Punjab government today notified the conversion table of the 5th Pay Commission hiking the basic salaries of state government employees. To be implemented with retrospective effect from January 1, 2006, the government has specified that the enhanced basic salaries will be available to the employees from the July salary payable in August 2009. When the complete report is notified, it will put an additional burden of Rs 2,700 crore on the government.
Much to the disappointment of the employees, the government has not notified revised allowances as recommended by
the 5th pay panel. These include allowances such as house rent, non-practising (for doctors) border area, project area, medical, children’s education etc. While the revised basic salary will be payable from retrospective effect i.e. 1-1-2006, the allowances are to be paid from the date of its notification. Further, the government has announced that the arrears of basic salary prior to July 2009 will be paid “in such a manner and at such time as may be decided by government. The revised pay under these rules shall be drawn from the first day of August 2009”. Also, the government has failed to take any decision on enhancement of the retirement age of state government employees from 58 to 60 years. This has come as a major setback to the employees who will be retiring soon, but were hoping to serve for another two years.
Employees say that the government has withheld their arrears. They point out that in a communication yesterday, the Punjab Finance Department had directed all departments to immediately release 60 per cent remaining arrears to all IAS officers serving in Punjab. These arrears were due to them after the implementation of the 6th Central Pay Commission report.
Based on the calculations of the basic salary table, the average benefit to employees will be about 27 per cent hike in salaries. But senior officials in some cases will benefit as much as 82 per cent and some clerical level staff as little as 10 per cent. Besides, the salary hike will only benefit whole-time employees of the Punjab government.
