The Provisional Employees Association of Mizoram (PEAM) suspended its strike on Friday following assurances from the state government that it would meet the employees’ demands.
The Provisional Employees Association of Mizoram (PEAM), is an association that represents all provisional employees in the state.
However, if the government does not keep its word and does not take concrete steps, the association has threatened to escalate its protests.
Since Thursday, thousands of provisional employees under the auspices of PEAM have been on mass casual leave, demanding regularization and the implementation of a pension scheme.
According to associate vice president Lalenkawla, PEAM leaders met with chief minister Zoramthanga on Friday, who assured them that measures would be taken to meet their demands.
In addition, he said that the chief minister also directed the state finance commissioner to investigate the matter and take appropriate action to ensure that the association’s demands are met.
“We have suspended our strike on Friday as the chief minister assured us and instructed the finance commissioner to find a way for our regularization and implementation of the pension scheme,” Lalenkawla said.
Moreover, Lalenkawla said that the Mizoram government now employs more than 8,500 provisional employees in at least 45 departments.
He claims that some of them have been working for more than 20 years.
Provisional employees, formerly known as ‘muster roll employees,’ are assigned to group ‘C’ and ‘D’ positions.
Since Thursday, the provisional employees have been staging agitation by taking mass casual leave. They have been demanding regularization and cancellation of the government order, which states ‘regularization of provisional employees and contractual employees shall be put on hold,’ he said.
The state government issued the order in February 2020 as part of its austerity measures to counter COVID-19.
Meanwhile, employees have also demanded the implementation of “The Mizoram New Define Contributory Pension Scheme for Provisional Employees”.
The pension plan was drafted in 2018 and is currently awaiting approval from the state finance department.
They attempted to meet with finance commissioner Vanlalchhuanga and secretary on Friday but were unable to do so due to the commissioner’s important meetings, according to Lalenkawl.
However, he stated that if the commissioner refuses to meet with them and fails to take steps to meet their demands, they will resume and intensify their agitation.
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