Shillong: Muster roll workers at the Public Health Engineering Department are threatening to walk off the job today. They have not been paid since April. The standoff centers on four months of missing salaries and a delayed Variable Dearness Allowance. The Joint Action Committee Muster Roll Workers’ Union issued the ultimatum Tuesday. They want the cash now.
PHE Chief Engineer Robert Sing Nongbri blamed the mess on a government financial system overhaul. The department is moving to an electronic payment system to cut down on manual errors and boost transparency. Nongbri claimed the Shillong Treasury promised funds would clear by Wednesday. Only the Baghmara division has finished the required paperwork so far.
Nongbri urged staff to stay on the job. He asked workers to remain calm while the department works through the backlog. "I would like to appeal to our muster roll workers to bear with us for another day or two," Nongbri said. He insisted the department is not ignoring their complaints.
The department has pushed requests for service regularisation and Regular Work Charged status to the state government. They are also consulting the Labour Department regarding a welfare fund and pension benefits. Many of these broader demands now sit with higher government offices awaiting financial concurrence.
Nongbri warned that a strike would cripple water supplies in Shillong, Jowai, Tura, Nongpoh, and Nongstoin. Thousands of homes, schools, and hospitals depend on these lines. The Chief Engineer hopes the new e-payment system will stop these payment delays for good.
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