The Association of Medical Specialists (AMS) stated today (06) that the nation has plunged into a critical stage as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has been further aggravated by lack of direction in general and poor fiscal management of public funds.
These statements were communicated through a press release issued by the Association.
“We have observed a spate of trade union actions demanding rights of their membership. While respecting and reserving the right to resort to trade union action, one should review the root cause(s) of this trend,” the AMS said.
Further, the AMS expressed that its is of the opinion that the failure of the government machinery to win the confidence of the public sector as a whole is the fundamental error in this regard. Accordingly, the AMS notes that this was confirmed by the government’s decision to “grant ad-hoc perks to chosen segments of the public sector”.
“What has become apparent is that what determines whether one would win their demands or not will depend only on the might and political allegiance of the trade union and not how reasonable their demands are,” the AMS said.
It also questions as to who the government will hold “ransom” to win such demands, adding that it is usually the poorest of the poor who has already been battered by the pandemic.
Commenting on the privileges enjoyed as public servants during this period, the AMS admitted that their segment of society has been the least affected by the pandemic and resultant economic impact.
“Our salaries were paid in full whether we worked, worked from home or did not work. Even the transport was arranged at the expense of the state for some. Even essentials were made available for us and they were delivered to workplaces as an extra convenience,” the AMS noted.
However, the AMS notes that the private sector employees were not so lucky. There were pay cuts, redundancies were declared and bonuses were trimmed, all as cost cutting measures. The same sentiments were expressed towards freelance workers, small businesses and daily wage earners along with farmers.
Therefore, the AMS strongly believes that being the least affected segment of the society, public servants should be more mindful of their duty over rights. Having analysed the current situation and cascade of events which are crippling the entire nation, the AMS has put forward an urgent interim solution that should be sought to prevent a lot more trade unions joining the bandwagon.
The AMS strongly recommends -
- To temporarily suspend all ad-hoc salary revisions and other corrective measures agreed with trade unions recently and to be promised in the near future with immediate effect until a concrete solution is worked out.
- To revisit and review salary scales and official statuses of public servants in a uniform, fair, equitable and transparent manner on a scientific basis in consultation with experts in salaries and cadre commission.