Shillong, Aug 17: Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma’s words were full of emotions as he addressed the gathering of muster roll workers and cooks during the 8th General Meeting of the All Jaintia Muster Roll Workers and Labour Union on Thursday, as he recalled that he has been aware of their problems and their struggles for over a decade, even before he became the Chief Minister.
“I saw the suffering of the Muster roles. I remember, as the Member of Parliament, your advisor KL Pariat, used to talk to me. I don’t know if you all know this or not, but we used to chat on Facebook and other social media 10 years back about the problems of muster roll workers and cooks,” he recalled.
Talking more about his camaraderie with the Union’s Advisor, KL Pariat, Sangma recounted, “That is how long I know him for, even that time he used to tell me about the problems of the muster role, about the problems of the cooks we used to discuss.”
CM Sangma further emphasized that his commitment was not a newfound one prompted by the event but a deep-rooted connection with their struggles. “So it’s not that I’m here just because you invited me today and just because we have done a few things. I have been connected with your problem for the last decade,” he shared.
Understanding this suffering, he said he had wanted to do something about their issues long time back, so when he became the Chief Minister, he immediately looked into their issues. He informed, “Hence, when I got the opportunity to be the Chief Minister, rightly as said by Ma Sniawbhalang Dhar, in the second cabinet meeting, I asked the Chief Secretary and the finance and other officials – why can’t we give the muster roles their salary on time.”
As he questioned this disparity, Sangma’s drive was rooted in a simple yet powerful idea – equal treatment. He recalled, “I simply told the finance department to release the money in advance, gave three months advance to all the concerned departments so that whatever problem they have, they will figure out.”
The journey to achieving timely salaries was not without its challenges, though. Sangma acknowledged the hurdles, stating, “It took some time because different departments have different systems. But I’m happy that slowly and steadily that we are seeing that we are able to now streamline and ensure that the majority of the muster roles today are getting their salaries on time.”
Sangma’s empathy extended beyond just timely payments as he shared, “We are ensuring also that regularly the minimum wage is also being reviewed so that your salaries also are adjusted with inflation to take care of the expenditures that you have.”
Also Read: CM Conrad Sangma promises to provide solutions to issues of muster roll workers; says govt with them
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