The Nagaland government on Wednesday asked the Joint Associations Forum (JAF) of employees’ organizations to immediately call off their agitation and resume work.
The government warned that if they fail to resume work action would be initiated against each erring employee individually.
The government issued an office memorandum to all directorates and districts on Wednesday directing them to send reports on individual absentees to the secretary, personal and administrative reforms.
The JAF of Nagaland Directorate Ministerial Service Association, All Nagaland District Ministerial Service Association, Trained Nurses Association of India-Nagaland Branch and Prison Service Association Nagaland on Tuesday refused to call off its agitation as requested by the government.
The forum has been demanding implementation of the recommendations of the Revision of Pay Anomalies Committee for the employees by the Nagaland government.
It began indefinite agitation on December 2, paralysing functioning of the state government offices across Nagaland.
Briefing district information and public relations officials on the ongoing agitation by the JAF in Kohima on Wednesday, chief secretary Temjen Toy warned that the government after exhausting its patience would be compelled to take the strongest action.
Toy said the demands of the forum are unjustified, unreasonable and amount to demanding preferential treatment.
He said while every association has the right to voice their grievances in a constitutional and procedural manner, the government will not tolerate such agitation by a section of employees as is being presently resorted to by the JAF.
The chief secretary said it was unfortunate that the government employees have the habit of only demanding their “so-called rights” whereas their behaviour and performance as worthy government employees have been “pathetic”.
He lamented that the patience and leniency shown by the government has been misinterpreted by its employees as impotence or lack of will to take appropriate action.
The chief secretary went on to say that there are many efficient unemployed youths who can deliver and perform better than many of the deadwood who are presently serving in the government.
Toy said the government could not accede to the demands made by the forum since the Pay Anomalies Committee had been constituted to examine anomalies, if any, arising out of the of the Nagaland Services (Revision of Pay) Rules, 2017 only.