AP JAC gives Aug 15 deadline to govt on employee demands, warns of stir

The Andhra Pradesh Joint Action Committee (AP JAC) has warned the state government of a statewide agitation if it fails to announce decisions on pending financial and service-related demands of employees by August 15. In a statement issued on Sunday, AP JAC chairman Bopparaju Venkateswarlu and general secretary Palisetti Damodar Rao expressed dissatisfaction over the delay in implementing assurances given during discussions with ministers on July 10 and 11 and with the Cabinet Sub-Committee on July 22.

The leaders said the government was deliberately delaying decisions despite holding talks, creating uncertainty among employees. They highlighted that salary arrears amounting to nearly ₹28,000 crore pertaining to the previous government and liabilities estimated at around ₹25,000 crore under the present government were yet to be cleared. They maintained that employees were only seeking payments and benefits legally due to them.

The AP JAC also criticised the government for not releasing dearness allowance (DA) instalments for the past two years, not implementing interim relief (IR), not constituting the 12th Pay Revision Commission (PRC), not restoring the additional quantum of pension for eligible retirees, and not operationalising the Employees' Health Card scheme.

Further, the leaders flagged 27 pending demands relating to contract, outsourcing, and Village and Ward Secretariat employees. They said if the government failed to announce concrete decisions by August 15, the AP JAC would convene a state-level meeting in Vijayawada and launch a statewide agitation.

The AP JAC represents a coalition of state government employee unions. The demands have been pending for several months, and the employees have held multiple rounds of talks with the government. The government has not yet issued an official response to the latest warning.

The employees' demands include regularisation of contract workers, parity in pay scales, and better working conditions. The state government, led by Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, has faced criticism from employee unions over delayed payments and unfulfilled promises. The August 15 deadline adds urgency to the matter, as the Independence Day holiday is often used for major announcements.

The JAC leaders have called on the government to act before the deadline to avoid disruption of public services. They reiterated that the agitation would be peaceful but firm. The state-level meeting in Vijayawada would decide the detailed course of action, they added.

This is a developing story. Further updates will be provided as they become available.