1. Telangana Government revives the Civil Services Joint Staff Council (State Level) after 12 years.
2. Council to act as a bridge between over 10 lakh employees, pensioners, teachers, and contract staff and the government.
3. Nine associations get permanent seats, six more included on a rotational basis.
4. Council to meet once every four months to address grievances and improve service conditions.

Government employees and pensioners across Telangana have reason to cheer. The long-pending demand for reviving the Telangana Civil Services Joint Staff Council (State Level) has finally been met, with the state government issuing orders on Wednesday. This revival comes after a gap of 12 years and is seen as a major step to systematically address employee grievances and strengthen dialogue between the government and its workforce.

Before the formation of Telangana state in 2014, the Civil Services Joint Staff Council functioned in undivided Andhra Pradesh. However, it was scrapped during the decade-long rule of the BRS government, leaving employees without a structured forum to represent their issues. Since the Congress government came to power in December 2023, leaders of the Telangana Employees, Gazetted Officers, Teachers, Labour and Pensioners Joint Action Committee (TGEJAC) have been relentlessly pursuing the demand for its revival. After nearly 20 months of efforts, the government has responded positively.

TGEJAC leaders — Chairman Maram Jagadishwar, Secretary General Eluri Srinivasa Rao, and Publicity Secretary B. Shyam — expressed their gratitude by celebrating the announcement at the Martyrs’ Memorial, Gun Park, along with representatives from various employee unions.

According to the Government Order, the Council is aimed at fostering closer cooperation between the state as an employer and its employees to improve efficiency in public service. Its key objectives are:

To promote the welfare of government employees, to provide machinery for resolving service-related grievances, to ensure greater employee participation in decisions concerning service conditions such as pay, tenure, work hours, retirement benefits, and disciplinary norms, to encourage suggestions from staff to improve office systems and working methods.

The Council will act as a bridge between over 10 lakh employees, pensioners, teachers, and contract staff in the state and the government.

Composition and Working

The Council will consist of 25–30 members, equally split between the government (official side) and service associations (staff side). The Chief Secretary to Government will serve as the ex-officio Chairman, while senior officials from key departments including Finance, Education, Law, PR&RD, and SC Development will represent the official side.

On the staff side, the following nine unions/associations have been granted permanent representation: Telangana Non-Gazetted Officers’ Union (TNGO Central Union), Telangana Gazetted Officers’ Association (Central Association), Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Telangana Secretariat Association (TGSA), Progressive Recognized Teachers’ Union (PRTU-TS), State Teachers’ Union, Telangana (STU-TS), Telangana Revenue Employees Service Association (TRESA) and Telangana Class IV Employees Central Association

In addition, six unions will get seats on a rotational basis every year. They are Telangana State United Teachers Federation (TS-UTF), Telangana Rashtra Teachers Federation (TRTF), Telangana Secretariat Officers’ Association (TGSOA), Deputy Collectors’ Association, Telangana, Telangana Tahsildars’ Association (TGTA), Telangana Prantha Upadhyaya Sangam (TPUS), School Teachers Federation (STF), Government Junior Lecturers’ Association

Functioning and Decision-Making

The Council will meet once every four months, or more frequently if required. A quorum requires at least three members from each side. Importantly, decisions can only be taken if a majority from both the official and staff sides agree. If consensus is not reached, unresolved matters will be referred to the General Administration (Service Welfare) Department for final decision. With this revival, Telangana has reinstated a crucial institutional mechanism that balances employee welfare with administrative efficiency. Employee unions believe the move will lead to quicker resolution of long-pending demands and foster a healthier government-employee relationship.

The TGEJAC, while welcoming the G.O., pledged to work constructively with the government to ensure that the Council delivers tangible results for all categories of employees and pensioners across the state.