Shimla – Facing mounting protests, the Himachal Pradesh government has softened its stance on the controversial withdrawal of the high pay scale notification, with Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu assuring that no employee’s salary will be cut. The government has said the decision will now apply only to future recruitments, not to those already serving.
The rollback of the 2022 notification issued under the previous Jairam Thakur-led government had triggered widespread resentment. The notification had granted high pay scales to employees of 89 categories on completion of two years of regular service. Its withdrawal sparked outrage among unions, who warned that thousands of employees could face a financial loss of ₹15,000 to ₹20,000 per month.
On Monday, representatives of the Non-Gazetted Employees Federation and Secretariat Employees Federation, including leaders Pradeep Thakur and Trilok Thakur, met the Chief Minister at Peterhof to press for immediate restoration of the benefit. They told the CM that the rollback had caused heavy financial losses and demoralised employees across departments.
After discussions, Sukhu assured that the notification would be amended in the employees’ interest. “No employee will face a salary cut. This decision will apply only to newly recruited personnel, whose additional increment will be stopped in the future,” he said. The CM added that the Finance Department had been directed to issue revised orders soon, and the Chief Secretary would notify the decision after returning to Shimla.
Anger Brewing Among Employees
Despite the assurance, employee organisations have not stepped back entirely. On Sunday, both factions of the Non-Gazetted Employees Union held a virtual meeting and unanimously condemned the government’s decision, terming it anti-employee and unjust. They alleged that the state had neither released DA, nor cleared arrears, and now had attempted to curtail higher pay scales.
Federation president Trilok Thakur accused some officers of “misleading the Chief Minister” into taking decisions against employees’ interests. He warned that if the rollback is not formally withdrawn, unions would be “forced to go on a pen-down strike and launch a statewide agitation.”
Pradeep Thakur, president of the Himachal Non-Gazetted Employees Federation, called the Finance Department’s notification objectionable, saying it would “spread discontent and lower efficiency due to fear of financial loss.” He reminded that CM Sukhu had been employee-friendly, citing the immediate implementation of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) after coming to power, and urged him to maintain the same approach.
