8,000 contractual P&RD staff strike in Assam over pay hike and job security

Jorabat, Nov 17: In a major setback to Assam’s rural development framework, more than 8,000 contractual employees of the Panchayat & Rural Development (P&RD) Department have been staging a statewide strike from November 11, pressing for long-pending demands related to pay, service security, and policy reforms.

This marks one of the largest unified protests by the contractual workforce in recent years, severely impacting the delivery of key Central and State welfare schemes in the State.

Contractual staff from all major categories, including gaon panchayat coordinators, accredited engineers, gram rozgar sahayaks, computer assistants, accounts assistants, and others form the core operational workforce for major schemes such as MGNREGA, PMAY-Gramin, NSAP, 15th Finance Commission grants, and Swachh Bharat Mission-Gramin.

They have been demanding a one-time increase of wages by Rs 30,000, minimum 10% permanent increment every year, job security up to 60 years of age for existing contractual employees and a comprehensive HR policy, ensuring uniformity, transparency, and fairness in service conditions across all contractual positions.

Employees allege that despite years of service, many with over a decade of experience, their salaries remain disproportionately low compared to similar roles in the department, with no mechanism for annual increments or career progression.

In view of the mounting grievances, the Government has constituted a committee on November 13 to examine the demands of the contractual staff. The committee, chaired by the Commissioner, P&RD, Assam, includes senior departmental officers and has been instructed to submit its recommendations within 30 days of the order taking effect. However, the formation of the committee has not led to the withdrawal of the agitation.

Speaking to The Assam Tribune, Gautam Koch, general secretary of the P&RD Contractual Employees’ Council, said: “This time, the strike will not be called off until our demands are genuinely addressed. We have served the department with dedication for years, and now we seek only fairness. We appeal to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to intervene and help resolve the issue at the earliest.”

With the strike disrupting daily operations across rural development offices, the agitators say the responsibility now lies with the government to act decisively and restore normalcy.

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