AP Employees Vs AP Employees

The Andhra Pradesh government employees are on the warpath yet again. It was just a few months ago that they had hit the road protesting against the delay in payment of salaries and non-implementation of the 11th and 12th PRC, apart from releasing their arrears and giving a hike in the DA.

Now, they threatened to launch an agitation again if the government does not heed to their demands. The entire episode came to a boil with the AP Government Employees Association representatives meeting Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan and putting forward their demands. Soon other employees associations cried foul over the move and demanded action against Association president Suryanarayana and general secretary Askara Rao.

Oldest association

APNGOs president Bandi Srinivasa Rao claimed that it was their 77-year-old organisation, the oldest in the state, that had achieved all the 11 PRCs in the state and threw down the gauntlet to Andhra Pradesh Government Employees’ Association president Suryanarayana to prove his commitment to the welfare of the government staff by launching a strike immediately. If you can do it, APNGOs will join you, he said.

Bandi also took exception to Suryanarayana and Association general secretary Askara Rao making unwarranted comments against their organisation when they met Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan a couple of days ago.

The APNGOs president fumed at Suryanarayana for branding their organisation pro-TDP. “This organisation fights only for the rights and subsidies of the employees and to ensure their welfare. There are some unseen forces steering the AP Government Employees Association but not behind the APNGOs” he asserted.

The APNGOs also alleged that the APGEA was working in tandem with the YCP leadership.

“You had been slinging mud time and again but we were maintaining silence only to show that all the employees are united,” he said.

APGEA argument

In response, Suryanarayana said that there was nobody behind their organisation except the sentiments and aspirations of the employees. “We had already declared that we would take up our action plan from April and so the APNGOs need not challenge us to launch the strike immediately,” he said.

“We met the Governor and submitted an application to make rightful payments to employees as a law. I do not see this as an unlawful thing,” he said.

Suryanarayana also alleged that other employees associations, specifically hinting at the APNGOs, had created hurdles in getting recognition to their association from 2014 to 2019.

Moreover, there are allegations that our association had got the recognition through backdoor and to this, we would like to make it clear that those levelling these charges can access all the information regarding our association through the RTI Act. The APNGOs association also submitted a complaint to the CM regarding recognition to our association and the government dismissed their charges saying that there were no loopholes in granting recognition to the APGEA. They even filed a PIL in the High Court and the case is still under hearing, he said.

Focus on welfare

The government can try to take advantage of the rift between the employees associations, pointed out a member of APNGOs and urged the leaders to focus on the welfare of the government staff than sorting out their personal scores.

Meanwhile, some other employees said that the rift could have been driven by the authorities to get some more time and also grant reduced benefits to the government staff.