Trade Union claims Cabinet decision “smacks of electoral buy-off”

The Federation of Civil Service and Other Unions (FCSU) has alleged the Cabinet has usurped the powers of the Pay Research Bureau (PRB).

Its claim came following a cabinet decision on 25 February that public sector officers would benefit from excise duty exemption of up to Rs150,000 on the purchase of a motor car of up to 1,400 cc.

This would be “once-in-a-lifetime” offer that would apply only to those who draw a monthly basic salary of Rs31,000 or more and with at least five years’ service.

“The PRB is currently working on ‘errors and omissions’ and the report is not even ready yet.”

To my knowledge, no union had made such a request”, FCSU’s Narendranath Gopee told local media.

For the latter, the decision smacks of “electoral buy-off”.