AIZAWL: Provisional Employees Association of Mizoram (PEAM), an association representing all provisional employees in the state on Friday suspended its agitation following an assurance from the state government that it would meet the employees’ demands.
However, the association threatened to intensify its agitation if the government does not keep its word and failed to take concrete steps.
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Thousands of provisional employees under the aegis of PEAM have been on mass casual leave since Thursday demanding regularisation and implementation of a pension scheme.
The association vice president Lalenkawla said that leaders of the PEAM on Friday called on chief minister Zoramthanga, who assured them to take measures to meet their demands.
The chief minister also instructed the state finance commissioner to look into the matter and take appropriate action to ensure that the association’s demands are fulfilled, he said.
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“We have suspended our agitation on Friday as the chief minister assured us and instructed finance commissioner to find a way for our regularisation and implementation of pension scheme,” Lalenkawla said.
According to Lalenkawla, more than 8,500 provisional employees are now currently employed in at least 45 departments under the Mizoram government.
Some of them have worked for more than 20 years, he said.
The provisional employees, who were earlier classified as ‘muster roll employees’ are employed in group ‘C’ and ‘D’ posts.
The provisional employees have been staging agitation by taking mass casual leave since Thursday.
They have been demanding regularisation and cancelation of the government order, which states ‘regularisaton of provisional employees and contractual employees shall be put on hold,’ he said.
The order was issued in February 2020 by the state government as part of its austerity measure to tackle COVID-19.
The employees have also been demanding the implementation of “The Mizoram New Define Contributory Pension Scheme for Provisional Employees.”
The pension scheme was drafted in 2018 and is pending with the state finance department.
Lalenkawl said they have attempted to meet finance commissioner Vanlalchhuanga and secretary on Friday but failed to do so as the commissioner has important meetings.
He said that they will resume and intensify their agitation if the commissioner refuses to meet them and fails to take measures to meet their demands.