Attacks
on workers and peasants as a whole and Central Government Officers and Employees
in particular are mounting day by day. Entire working class and
peasantry are on struggle path. The successful farmers struggle in
Maharashtra and sixteen days indefinite strike of three lakhs Postal Gramin Dak
Sevaks are the latest mass struggle.
None
of the 7th CPC related demands of Central Government Employees are
settled. The increase in pay of 14.28% was the lowest and worst in
the history of pay revision of Central Government employees. The
assurance given by the group of senior Cabinet Ministers of NDA Government in
the wake of impending indefinite strike from 11th July 2016 regarding increase
in minimum wage and fitment formula is in paper even after a lapse of 24
months. Now the Finance Minister had replied in the
Parliament that - “no change in minimum pay and fitment formula is at
present under consideration of the Government”.
Employees
who joined service on or after 01-01-2004 are retiring with a meagre pension of
Rs.1000/- to Rs.2000/-per month only under the NPS scheme. In effect "New
pension system'' has become "No pension system''. As per RTI
reply out of 32 lakhs Central Government employees, as on 30-04-2018, 17,
58,144 employees are covered under NPS. Uncertainty is looming large over their
retirement life. Every month 10 % of their salary (including DA) is
deducted under NPS, but as per PFRDA Act - "there shall not be
any implicit or explicit assurance of benefit, except market based
guarantee mechanism to be purchased by the subscriber.” 7th CPC after
hearing various stake holders of NPS has given the following directive to the
Government - "almost a whole lot of Government employees
appointed on or after 01-01-2004 are unhappy with the New Pension Scheme,
Government should take a call to look into their complaint.'' Even though
Government has appointed a committee for streamlining NPS, the committee was
not mandated to examine and recommend ''scraping of NPS” or ''minimum
guaranteed pension'' i.e., 50% of the last pay drawn. Staff side has
placed the above demands before the committee. Report of the
committee, submitted one year back, is not yet published. In short
the discontentment among the NPS employees is growing day by day and it may
burst out at any time if the Government refuses to revert back to the old
defined benefit pension system.
Six
lakhs posts are lying vacant for the last many years and now Government has
issued orders to abolish all posts lying vacant for more than five years. HRA
arrears, MACP Bench mark, MACP promotional hierarchy and date of effect from
01-01-2006, option-I for pensioners - Govt is not ready to reconsider their
stand. Three lakhs Gramin Dak Sevaks are compelled to go on indefinite strike
for 16 days for getting their legitimate wage revision approved by the cabinet.
Their demands for regularisation, Civil servant status are still
pending. Exploitation of casual and contract workers
continue. Equal pay for equal work is denied.
Large
scale outsourcing and privatisation has become the order of the day. Foreign
Direct Investment and privatisation of Railways and Defence and large
scale outsourcing of the work done by Defence Civilian employees are in full
swing. Government declared about 200 defence products manufactured by Defence
employees as ''non-core'' items and gave orders to private multinational
companies for their supply, rendering thousands of Defence employees jobless in
Govt owned 41Ordnance factories. 14 EME workshops are going to be closed. GOCO
model is going to be implemented in Army based workshops. At least 11 DRDO
laboratories/establishments are proposed to be closed. 12 out of 17
Government of India presses are ordered to be closed. Same is the fate with
other departmental printing presses including Railway printing presses.
Majority of the Autonomous body employees and pensioners are yet to get their
rightful 7th CPC revised pay and pension due to stringent conditions imposed by
Finance Ministry. Compassionate appointment has become a mirage.
Trade
Union rights and facilities are curtailed and denied. Orders banning
dharna and demonstrations are issued. The draconian FR 56 (j) and Pension Rules
48 are misused as a short-cut to punish and victimise employees. Government
sponsored Unions/Associations are given undue patronage. Recognition
and trade union facilities of fighting organisations are withdrawn and their
leaders are transferred to far-off places.
Those who betrayed
32 lakhs Central Government employees and 33 lakhs pensioners have to pay the
price for it. 16 days historic indefinite strike of Gramin Dak Sevaks
is an eye-opener to all. There is no short-cut for realising our
justified demands from a totally negative and unwilling Government.
