The Arunachal Pradesh government has approved the early release of September salaries, wages and pension benefits ahead of a proposed three-day bank strike later this month, officials said on September 25.
The payments have been authorised for Friday, covering regular government employees as well as casual, contingency and contractual workers. Pensioners and employees due to receive retirement benefits have also been included in the government’s directive.
The decision was taken following an advisory from the Union Finance Ministry, which warned of possible disruption to banking services between September 28 and 30 due to the proposed strike.
The order was issued by Joint Secretary (Budget) Ikar Birchi on Thursday. It directed the concerned authorities to complete the payment process without delay, considering the possibility of disruption to normal banking operations during the strike period.
Treasury and sub-treasury officers, drawing and disbursing officers (DDOs) and regional banking authorities have been instructed to ensure that the salaries, wages and pension-related payments are processed as directed.
The government has treated the matter as urgent so that beneficiaries receive their payments before the proposed disruption to banking services.
The proposed strike has been called by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), which represents several major bank employee unions.
Among the key demands of the bank unions is the introduction of a five-day working week, with all Saturdays declared holidays. The unions are seeking working arrangements similar to those followed by the Reserve Bank of India, central government offices and the insurance sector.
The Arunachal Pradesh government’s decision to advance the release of salaries and other payments is aimed at ensuring that government employees, pensioners and other beneficiaries are not affected by any disruption in banking services during the proposed strike period.
