Tura, June 4: The ongoing crisis in the GHADc has finally witnessed a solution on Friday with the protesting employees agreeing to return to work from Monday onwards, after more than four months of strike, following a long meeting between the employees association and the council authorities led by CEM Benedic Marak in presence of church leaders and NGOs of Tura.

According to the mechanism worked out after a lot of discussions in which there were many “ifs” and “buts” from the protesting side, it has been decided that the employees will be paid five months of their monthly salary dues under the old existing 4th pay scale and return to work at the same time.

This has been the stand of the new EC of GHADC for the past two months while appealing to the striking employees to see reason and join work in view of the acute financial crisis in the GHADC.

As per the breakthrough, the Executive Committee of the GHADC led by the CEM will get two months of time to try and resolve the remaining salary dues for which the employees are demanding they be paid under the new 5th pay scale.

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has hailed the breakthrough and urged everyone to work together in the interest of Garo Hills and the GHADC.

“Members of the NGEA met me and the CEM when I was in Tura last time. Everyone wanted to solve the issue which didn’t just come up. It’s been building up for some time and therefore was not an easy thing to find a solution to all its problems. I am happy that the issue has finally been resolved,” said CM Conrad K Sangma.

According to those who attended the discussion between the striking employees under NGEA and the council authorities, the GHADC which is said to have been received from the state government Rs 20 Crore will pay the old scale of salary to all its employees for five pending months initially and, later on, the approved revised scale will be paid basing on the fund position.

CEM of GHADC Benedic Marak interacted with the employees in a public gathering outside the GHADC office in the presence of church leaders and NGOs where he urged upon the employees to be positive and join work from Monday while assuring that their interests will be looked into by the district council.

“I have always been urging all of you to give us time to look into the problems. I am happy that we can all return to work from next week and I assure you that the local audit set up to inspect and review the financial position of GHADC will scrutinise each and every department,” said CEM Benedic Marak.

A host of representatives, including NGEA leaders, Baptist Church reverend F D Sangma, NGO leaders from ADE and others also addressed the council employees.