Already, the Left parties and their trade unions have denounced the commission's
recommendations as 'elitist, anti-worker and retrograde.'
Opposition to the proposals have also come from the prime minister's own
party, the Janata Dal, and regional allies like the Tamil Maanila Congress, the
Telugu Desam Party and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.
This is the first time since Deve Gowda assumed power on June 1 that a major government
initiative has been unitedly opposed by his allies.
The contentious clauses in the commission's report that the UF constituents want either abandoned or
drastically changed are the recommendations for slashing the government workforce by 30
per cent, abolishing 350,000 vacant posts and reducing the number of pay scales from 51
to 34.
The federal government currently employs 3.3 million people across the country.
"The UF government's common minimum programme had promised to generate more jobs for
unemployed youth in the country. Therefore, the suggestion to chop the government staff
by 30 per cent will result in social anarchy," says CPI-M Politbureau member
Ramachandra Pillai.
He told Rediff On The NeT that "the Left parties will not allow the Deve Gowda
government to implement the pay panel report without effecting major changes."
"The pay commission recommendations have put to test the UF government's commitment
towards social justice and workers's welfare," he added.
The Left parties fear the proposal to fix the minimum salary at Rs 2,440 and the maximum
at Rs 30,000 will widen the already-existing disparity between the lowest and the
highest income earners in government service.
"We appreciate the proposal to hike the government salaries by 200 per cent. But it
should not be to benefit Indian Administrative Service officers alone," D Raja,
national secretary of the Communist Party of India told Rediff On The NeT.
Raja indicated that the CPI will submit a list of recommendations to the government
in connection with the commission's report.
The report has worried the Janata Dal more than any other party, for many JD
leaders think that the recommendation to abolish 350,000 vacant posts in
different government departments will affect the scheduled castes, scheduled tribes
and other backward classes which form the party's backbone.
One senior JD leader said the government's failure to keep the promises
made to the dalits and minorities in the common minimum programme has angered many
party MPs.
"The government can not afford to abolish 350,000 vacant posts at a time when party MPs want
more posts to be created for for scheduled castes and tribes," the Janata Dal leader, speaking
on condition of anonymity, told Rediff On The NeT.
The DMK and TDP are unhappy with the pay panel's proposals for different reasons.
With Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu in deep financial trouble, Chief Ministers
Nara Chandrababu Naidu and M Karunanidhi fear the UF government's acceptance of the
report -- which is meant for central government staff -- will set off similar demands from state government employees.
