Hyderabad:Major employee unions on Friday welcomed the government’s decisions to approve two pending dearness allowance (DA) instalments and clear pending medical and retirement-related bills. The unions withdrew their agitation programmes scheduled from June 9.
Speaking at a press conference held on Friday, Telangana Employees Joint Action Committee (TGEJAC) chairman V. Lachi Reddy, co-chairman M. Ramakrishna, Joint Action Committee of Telangana Employees, Gazetted Officers, Teachers, Workers and Pensioners (JACGOTWP) chairman Maram Jagadeeshwar, and secretary-general Eluri Srinivasa Rao expressed gratitude to Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and other Cabinet members. They said the decisions reflected the state government’s commitment to employee welfare and pro-employee governance.
“This is a people’s government that is standing by its employees,” said Lachi Reddy.
“The government has responded positively to key demands, including the release of two DAs, monthly allocation of `700 crore for clearing pending bills, establishment of a trust for health scheme implementation, and reversal of election-time transfers,” he added.
He said these measures and the assurance to retirement arrears, and bills under e-Kuber, and the formation of a three-member IAS officers’ committee to liaise with employee unions will significantly benefit employees.
During the meeting, the union leaders said they had explained the approved resolutions by categorising them into three segments: critical, non-financial, and financial issues.
They also reiterated their long-standing demands, including scrapping the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), restoring the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), forming a special corporation for outsourced employees, broader implementation of GO 317 to include more categories under inter-district transfer options, consideration of inter-district spouse transfers against future vacancies, and reallocation of staff transferred to other zones based on seniority and preference.
The unions stressed that the approval of Rs 700 crore per month for bill clearance and the establishment of the health trust would significantly benefit employees by ensuring cashless treatment under the new trust-managed health scheme.
The JAC leaders extended special thanks to revenue minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and the officers’ committee chaired by Navin Mittal, along with other senior IAS officers and the finance and GAD secretaries, for their roles in facilitating these decisions.
The journey towards resolution was extensive, the leaders noted, citing their first meeting with the Chief Minister on October 24, 2024, followed by the formation of the Cabinet sub-committee on November 8, 2024, preliminary meetings in March 2025, and the creation of the IAS officers’ committee on May 6, 2025.
The union leaders said that while the June 5 Cabinet meeting brought relief on several fronts, over 14 key financial and 24 non-financial issues still require attention. They expressed confidence that the government would continue to address these pending concerns in a phased and collaborative manner.
“This is a significant step forward, but our journey is not complete,” said JACGOTWP chairman Maram Jagadeeshwar. “We are hopeful that the remaining demands, especially those concerning CPS, inter-district spouse transfers, and recognition of unions, will also be addressed soon.”