Imphal, Jan 3 (IANS) Manipur government employees organisations Sunday threatened to launch an indefinite strike if their salaries were not hiked by Jan 15.
The Joint Administrative Council of Employees’ Organisations (JACEO), the apex body of the Manipur government employees, Saturday submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh, demanding implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission’s recommendations.

“If the demand is not fulfilled before Jan 15, the government employees would go for an indefinite cease work from Jan 16,” JACEO spokesman L. Priyobratta said here Sunday.

The functioning of the administration and government works had been paralysed for more than three months after the employees went on a similar agitation Nov 27, 2008.

Educational institutions in the insurgency-hit northeastern states have already remained mostly closed since Sep 9 with students losing a vital academic session.

The indefinite shutting down of all educational institutions including colleges was called by the influential All Manipur Students’ Union (AMSU), demanding the resignation of chief minister following the reported killing of a youth by security forces in July last year.

The government employees have been agitating occasionally since November 2008, demanding enhancement of salaries of 70,000 employees. The stir was called off October last year after the chief minister promised the employees that the government would consider the demand after receiving grant of the 13th Finance Commission.

Priyobratta, quoting the chief minister, told reporters that the state government expressed its inability to hike the salaries due to paucity of funds.

According to the state finance department, the government is now spending about Rs.10.80 billion annually to pay salaries. To implement the sixth pay commission recommendations, the government has to spend an additional Rs.3.25 billion annually.

“The Manipur government has been providing salaries to the all India service officers and bureaucrats as per the recommendations of the Central sixth pay commission even as the government is citing shortage of funds to provide due higher salaries of general employees,” Priyobratta added.