NE NEWS SERVICE
CHENNAI, APRIL 28
The DMK and other opposition parties in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday slammed the freezing of Dearness Allowance (DA) and earned leave (EL) for the state government staff, calling it “anti-employee” and “regrettable.”
The opposition leader and DMK President M K Stalin slammed the fiscal management of the ruling AIADMK while AMMK leader TTV Dinakaran said it was not “acceptable” that the government has burdened its employees with such a hard measure.
#COVID19 போரில் கண் துஞ்சாது அர்ப்பணிப்புடன் பணியாற்றும் மருத்துவர்கள் உள்ளிட்ட அரசு ஊழியர்களின் ஊதியத்தை இறுக்கியிருக்கிறது அதிமுக அரசு.
மத்திய அரசிடமிருந்து GSTபங்கு, கொரோனா நிவாரண நிதி ஆகியவற்றை போராடி பெறுக!
அதைவிடுத்து உழைக்கும் ஊழியர்களின் பொருளாதாரத்தை பறிப்பது அறமல்ல! pic.twitter.com/auBl9D1HV1
— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) April 28, 2020
Citing the severe fiscal crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tamil Nadu government on Monday announced freezing of additional installment of DA for its employees and pensioners till July 2021 and suspended EL encashment for a year.
“The attack by the AIADMK government on its salaried employees through (these) orders is indeed regrettable,” Stalin said in a statement.
The government staffs were working overtime in these times of the spread of the pandemic and lakhs of such personnel from various departments, including Health, Police, Revenue and Municipal Administration were serving with dedication, he added.
The AIADMK government’s move would “demoralise” the workforce, the Leader of the Opposition added. Contrary to claims by the government and Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, the state’s fiscal management was not proper, Stalin said and pointed to the Rs 4.56 lakh crore debt.
Rather than “squeezing” employees’ salaries, the state government should ensure it received from the Centre its dues like GST share, Finance Commission allocations and the sum demanded to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.
Dinakaran, an independent legislator, said it was “not acceptable” to effect such measures during “these times of crisis” when government staff, including COVID-19 frontline workers were serving society with dedication.
நெருக்கடியான நேரத்தில் களத்தில் நின்று அர்ப்பணிப்பு உணர்வுடன் பணியாற்றிவரும் சுகாதாரம்,உள்ளாட்சி,வருவாய்,கூட்டுறவு துறை ஊழியர்கள் உள்ளிட்ட அரசு ஊழியர்கள், ஆசிரியர்கள்,ஓய்வூதியதாரர்கள் ஆகியோருக்கான அகவிலைப்படி உயர்வு,ஈட்டியவிடுப்பு ஆகியவற்றை நிறுத்தி வைத்திருப்பது ஏற்புடையதல்ல 1/3
— TTV Dhinakaran (@TTVDhinakaran) April 28, 2020
“The government could avoid so much unnecessary expenditure…how can it be acceptable to burden those who are the vital cog in the government machinery,?” he asked.
Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) chief Kamal Haasan also slammed the move. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi insists private firms “should not distress its employees in this crisis,” why have the state and central governments effected DA freeze, he said in a tweet.
PM asks private firms not to distress its employees in this crisis.But the D.A hike for Central govt employees & Earned Leave for State govt employees are frozen?This balcony Government has to understand that it is their duty to also save our entrepreneurs and our work force now
— Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) April 28, 2020
“This balcony government has to understand that it is their duty to also save our entrepreneurs and our workforce now,” he added.
