AP government invokes ESMA
ஆந்திராவில் போராட்டத்தில் ஈடுபடும் அரசு ஊழியர்கள் மீது எஸ்மா சட்டம் அமல்படுத்தப்பட்டுள்ளது. ஆந்திராவில் தனி தெலுங்கானாவுக்கு எதிர்ப்பு தெரிவித்து கடலோர ஆந்திரா, ராயலசீமா உள்ளிட்ட பகுதிகளில் கடந்த 17 நாட்களாக, போராட்டம் நடைபெற்று வருகிறது. இந்தப் போராட்டத்தில் அரசு போக்குவரத்து கழக ஊழியர்களும் ஈடுபட்டுள்ளதால் 13 மாவட்டங்களில் பேருந்து சேவை முடங்கி உள்ளது.
இந்த நிலையில் நாளை முதல் போராட்டத்தை தீவிரப்படுத்த அரசு ஊழியர் சங்கம் முடிவு செய்துள்ளது. அதன்படி மின்துறை ஊழியர்களும் போராட்டத்தில் இறங்க உள்ளனர். இதனிடையே அரசு ஊழியர்களின் போராட்டத்தை முறியடிக்க ஆந்திர அரசு ‘எஸ்மா’ சட்டத்தை நேற்று முதல் அமல்படுத்தியுள்ளது. இதன் மூலம் அரசு ஊழியர்கள் வேலை நிறுத்தத்தில் ஈடுபட்டால் அவர்கள் மீது கடுமையான நடவடிக்கை எடுக்க உத்தரவிட்டுள்ளது.
AP government invokes ESMA; ‘no work, no pay’
The state government has decided to invoke the AP Essential Services and Maintenance Act (ESMA), 1971 against striking Seemandhra employees of the AP Treasury and Accounts Services, Pay and Accounts, Pay and Accounts Subordinate Services and AP Works Accounts Service. The finance department issued a GO (No:238) on Saturday night listing the four services as essential services. They deal with inflow and outflow of money into the state’s treasury. This will be besides ‘no-work no-pay’ which is going to be implemented with immediate effect in respect of the employees who sign attendance registers but do not work. AP Treasury Employees Association leaders said that they were not afraid of the ESMA and would continue their strike. Stating the rule position in respect of no work and no pay, chief secretary PK Mohanty has issued a memo, stating that it was in accordance with GO 177 issued on April 13, 2011.
The government issued the memo soon after the APNGOs Association resolved at an emergency meeting in Vijayawada on August 4 to go on an indefinite strike from the midnight of August 12 opposing the proposed division of the state of Andhra Pradesh. The GO 177 was issued when the Telangana agitation by government employees from Telangana region was gaining momentum. In the GO it was said that taking note of the unconventional and innovative protests like ‘pen down, chalk down and tool down’ and ‘non-cooperation’ were being resorted to by employee organisations and associations in the state for achieving their demands. Further, most of the employee were signing the attendance registers but not attending to official work during such agitations. In view of the difficulties faced by the government and the public, certain instructions were being issued to face such unconventional and innovative protests in future.
It said the ‘no work, no pay’ policy shall be adopted henceforth. The authorities concerned were directed to follow the policy whenever such a situation arose without waiting for further orders from the government. But, even 10 days after the chief secretary had issued the memo, the APNGOs and others have remained on strike and employees at the Secretariat are staging demonstrations, boycotting work and staging rallies at the Secretariat. “The memo was issued stating the rule position. But we decided to continue our protest since keeping the state together is more important for our future,’’ said Murali Krishna, president of Seemandhra Secretariat Forum (SSF) which is spearheading the agitation in the Secretariat. APNGOs president P Ashok Babu concurred with Murali Krishna’s view. Secretariat Staff to Serve Strike Notice. While APNGOs have decided to intensify their agitation across the state in a phased manner, Secretariat employees from Rayalaseema and Andhra regions, who went on a mass leave on Friday, have decided to serve strike notice in a couple of days and to go on strike from Sept 1.
