UTF demands G.O. on IR ‘recoveries’

Leaders of the Andhra Pradesh United Teachers’ Federation (APUTF) have urged the authorities concerned to release a G.O. on the ‘recoveries’ from the employees’ salaries as part of the 11 ^th PRC. In a statement, the Federation’s State president N. Venkateswarlu and general secretary K.S.S. Prasad said the government, through G.O. 1 released on January 17, announced that it would recover the Interim relief paid for 30 months from July 1, 2019 to December 31, 2021, from the PRC arrears that the employees were to receive. If the amount was higher, it would be deducted from the DAs to be paid to the employees in future. This enraged the employees who staged a massive protest and even the court gave its verdict against the proposed ‘recoveries’. The government made a climbdown and the Group of Ministers who held talks with the employees’ representatives on February 4 and 5, said the government was ready to waive the IR recoveries worth ₹5,400 crore for nine months, from July 1, 2019 to March 31, 2020, they said. “The same thing was repeated by the Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy the next day (February 6) when he met the employees’ leaders, they pointed out. The federation leaders said, “No G.O. has been issued so far on the ‘exemption’ of the recoveries, which is raising doubts in the minds of the employees.” They said the decision to implement the ‘changed slabs’ of HRA from January 2022 would also result in ‘recovery’ from the employees’ salaries. “This is grossly unfair. Instead of benefiting from the PRC, the employees have to pay back the money,” they argued.