Old pension scheme: Employees’ unions firm on indefinite strike from today
The strike will likely impact government functioning across districts, government schools and ongoing exams, government hospitals and other essential services.
3 min read
The Maharashtra state gazetted officers association too has announced unconditional support to the employees union, and has said it will join the strike from March 28 if demands are not fulfilled. Even as the state government has decided to set up a committee to study the implementation of the old pension scheme (OPS), employee unions on Monday announced that they will go ahead with an indefinite strike from Tuesday, March 14. Around 17 lakh state government, semi government, teaching and non-teaching staff across the state are to the strike.
The strike will likely impact government functioning across districts, government schools and ongoing exams, government hospitals and other essential services.
The Maharashtra state gazetted officers association too has announced unconditional support to the employees union, and has said it will join the strike from March 28 if demands are not fulfilled.
“Employees are one of the most integral parts of the state government, and we stood firmly with the government during Covid-19. We have been raising certain demands for years now, and submitted several memorandums and demanded discussions as well, but to no avail. We are left with no option but to go on an indefinite strike,” said Vishwas Katkar, convener of the coordination committee of government, semi-government, teaching and non-teaching staff unions.
The employees met Chief Minister Ekanth Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday, but they failed to reach any consensus on the main demand of OPS.
Even as employee unions remain firm on the indefinite strike from March 14, state government’s General Administration department on Monday announced that disciplinary action will be taken against those who will participate in the strike.
Katkar said that OPS will put no immediate financial burden on the state government. “OPS is applicable to certain central government departments, armed forces, MLAs and MPs. The reason is that it has social security. Why can’t Maharashtra government employees, too, get this social security?” asked Katkar.
Apart from OPS, employees have 17 other demands which include no privatisation of government departments, retirement age be made 60 years from the existing 58 years, those working on contractual basis be made permanent and filling of vacant posts, among others.
The Maharashtra State Gazetted Officers Association released a statement on Monday evening announcing its support to the indefinite strike from March 14.
“The association will actively participate in the employees’ strike from March 28. This letter should be considered as the notice of the strike,” said the letter sent by the officers’ association to the chief secretary on Monday.
Three Congress states – Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh, and Aam Aadmi Party-ruled Punjab have already announced or reverted to OPS. OPS is a defined benefit scheme compared with the NPS or the new pension scheme, which is market-linked with both government and employees making monthly contributions, to be invested in pension funds.
A statement issued by GAD secretary Sumant Bhange said that the strike called by government and semi-government employees stand illegal as per the Maharashtra Civil Service (Conduct) Rules, 1979 and therefore disciplinary action will be taken against the employees. It also said that the state has adopted the Centre’s ‘no work-no wages’ policy.
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