Employees Hold Unique Protest Against Andhra Pradesh Government
Discontent among government employees in Andhra Pradesh has surfaced once again. Under the banner of the AP Government Employees Federation, employees staged a unique protest by shaving their heads and holding placards that read “Chandranna Bodigundu for Employees”, expressing their anger over the government’s failure to fulfill promises made to employees and volunteers before the elections.
Federation Alleges Delay in PRC, IR and DA Implementation
Speaking to the media, Federation President Venkatrami Reddy criticized the government, stating that even after completing two years in office, it has failed to implement key commitments, including the Pay Revision Commission (PRC), Interim Relief (IR), and Dearness Allowance (DA).
He claimed that government employees have collectively suffered financial losses of nearly ₹32,000 crore, while the total pending dues, including previous arrears, have reached around ₹50,000 crore.
Employees Claim Huge Financial Losses
According to the federation, each government employee has incurred an average loss of over ₹5 lakh, while employees working in village and ward secretariats have lost more than ₹2 lakh each due to the delay in implementing promised benefits and clearing pending dues.
Demand for White Paper on Pending Employee Dues
The federation alleged that several payments, including surrender leave encashment and pending bills for police personnel, are yet to be cleared.
It demanded that the Andhra Pradesh government immediately release a White Paper detailing the status of all pending dues owed to government employees.
Allegations of Workplace Pressure and Employee Suicides
The employees’ federation also alleged that government staff are facing severe workplace pressure and harassment.
According to the federation, 10 employees died by suicide during the past month, allegedly due to work-related stress. It further claimed that officials are imposing excessive pressure under the “Sir” programme, warning employees of disciplinary action if assigned targets are not met.
Teachers Spending Time on Apps Instead of Teaching
The federation alleged that although schools reopened over a month ago, many teachers are being forced to spend their time helping parents download government-related mobile applications instead of focusing on classroom teaching and students’ education.
Federation Questions Silence of Other Employee Unions
The AP Government Employees Federation questioned why other employee unions have remained silent on these issues. It accused the government of neglecting employee welfare and urged it to immediately clear all pending dues and fulfill the election promises made to government employees.
