Citizen services of more than 35 government departments in nearly 250 ESeva centres across the State are likely to come to a standstill from Tuesday with the centres’ contract employees threatening to strike work indefinitely demanding enhancement of wages as stipulated by a Government order.
The contract employees numbering over 3000 all over the State have been agitating for implementation of a GO No 6 issued in August 2009 stipulating that every operator be paid Rs 5070 per month and fourth class employees Rs 4030 salary, while the managers to get a negotiated amount.
“However, the agencies which have been given contracts of running the E-Seva centres have not been implementing the order. We will strike work from November 16”, E-Seva Contract Employees’ Association representatives said at a press conference here on Tuesday.
The representatives, C.H. Vishwanath, G. Krishna and S. Sarat Babu maintained that they had been submitting memoranda to the Government, but the demands have not been fulfilled so far.
E-Seva services, the first initiative of Andhra Pradesh government in e-Governance were started in 2001 in a bid to take Government department services nearer to the people. As of now, the 250 centers offer services of 35 government departments. The Government has appointed four agencies to run the centres. The entire workforce of E-Seva centres are contract employees and the agencies take commission on each transaction done on behalf of the departments.
The association alleged that the managements of the agencies were harassing employees who were agitating for enhancement of salaries.
