Demands full payment of dues before Dec 22
Kohima, December 15 (MExN): Employees working under the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) Kohima have decided to continue their strike along with the demand that pending salaries should be paid in full before December 22.
The employees who have been on strike protesting nonpayment of salaries since November 16 when it called for a total shutdown of the DRDA office Kohima also cautioned that it would resort to legal action if the salaries are not paid within the stipulated time.
In a press release on Wednesday, the employees stated that an emergency meeting was called on December 14, to discuss the appeals made by Commissioner and Secretary to Government of Nagaland, Rural Development and the Director, Rural Development Blocks, Nagaland, to call off the agitation.
The release stated that the house deliberated on “how helpful the 2 month’s salary that has been credited to each DRDA out of the pending 10 (ten) month’s salary was.” It was learned that “many officers and staffs didn’t even wish to deposit the two months’ salary into their personal Bank Account and opted for cash payment as the total credited amount was likely to be deducted for recovery of interest accrued from the loan taken.” The employees were also shocked and offended at the unjustified biasness of the authority shown to certain DRDAs in the latest salary statement, it said.
Further, the aggrieved employees stated that the appeal made by authorities only stated that insufficient funds were received from the Central Government, and as such, “did not find any reason to resume office, as the authority did not guarantee any date in clearing the pending salaries.”
“Enough of grievances have been shared in the past as plain as it could be, by demanding only the salary due, through several submission of representations, appraisals, press releases, hoisting of black flags, wearing of black arm bands and pen down strikes, mass casual leaves, cease works and total shut downs since 2014 without any favorable outcome till date,” it contended.
Reiterating that the dues should be paid before December 22, the employees stated that “Once it becomes a legal matter, the authority shall be held liable for attorney’s fees and court cost related in the lawsuit.”
The authority shall also be held liable to pay all the interest accrued as required legally, it added.
Meanwhile, it also cautioned other employees from creating any situation that would obstruct the process and divert the agitation from its intended course.
