By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Dec 19: Amidst the beckoning of Christmas festivities, several casual employees of the Public Health Engineering (PHE) department, Mawphlang Division, on Tuesday, demanded the release of their dues for October, November and December.
The Mawphlang PHE Workers’ Union (MPWU), a body of the casual and work charge staff of the PHE Mawphlang Division took to the media to appeal to the government requesting to clear their arrears before Christmas.
MPWU president Napoleon Mawphniang told media-persons that after having written to PHE Minister Marcuise N Marak, they received the dues for the month of September.
The casual employees have been working with the department for about 20 to 30 years now, but are paid a minimum wage, and this delay has affected them and their families, Mawphniang said.
He also appealed to release the Variable Dearness Allowance (VDA) of the casual employees of the department.
Adding that the delay in the release of salaries of the casual and work charge employees is not restricted to the Mawphlang Division, but is a prevailing issue in the entire state, he said that there was an assurance from the officials of the department.
“There were some words of assurances that the pending dues will be cleared before Christmas, but even the dues for October and November have not been cleared so far,” he added.
There are around 1,000 casual and work charge employees who have to be in the hot water, owing to the irregular salary payment.