Suvendu Adhikari to meet employee bodies over DA on May 30

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari will meet representatives of four state government employees' organisations on May 30 to discuss the long-pending dearness allowance (DA) issue. The meeting is scheduled at Nabanna at around 11 am, and invitations have been sent to Sangrami Joutha Mancha, the Confederation of Government Employees, Unity Forum and the Paschim Banga Sarkari Karmachari Parishad.

Several employee organisations have questioned why only four bodies were invited. Biswajit Gupta Chowdhury, a leader of the CPI(M)-backed West Bengal Coordination Committee, alleged the government failed to maintain neutrality. Bhaskar Ghosh of Sangrami Joutha Mancha said it was the government's prerogative to decide whom to call. Administrative sources said the invited organisations were among those involved in prolonged legal battles over DA disputes.

The government is exploring ways to resolve employees' demands while reducing litigation. Employees are unhappy that the new BJP dispensation did not address the due DA, though two cabinet meetings have been held. The government announced the establishment of the seventh pay commission at the second cabinet meeting on Monday. The DA dispute covers dues from 2008 to 2019 and arrears since 2020.