Left wing trade unions, the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), condemned a recent circular of the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) to the secretaries of all Union government departments directing them to take disciplinary actions, besides deduction of wages, against employees going on strike in any form, including protests. The employees had recently held a protest march here demanding restoration of the old pension scheme, a demand that gathered support among the public servants.
The CITU said the circular reflected the arrogance of the Centre and demanded immediate scrapping of the instructions. Its general secretary Tapan Sen said the instruction warned employees of serious consequences if they participated in any protests.
He said the Narendra Modi government was known for its anti-worker destructive policies and such a directive was a desperate action to take on surging protests of Central and State government employees. “While the organised protests and agitation for Old Pension Scheme (OPS) urging for scrapping of New Pension Scheme (NPS) particularly by the government employees are becoming louder and widespread it is gradually turning out to be a political challenge to the Modi government and the BJP-ruled states. Such desperation has given rise to such arrogance seeking to ban all forms of democratic protests by the government employees,” Mr. Sen said.
AITUC general secretary Amarjeet Kaur said the directive was draconian and vindictive. “After 19 years of its implementation, the NPS is totally exposed and the employees are just getting ₹ 2000 to ₹ 3000 as pension after contributing 10% from their wages every month. Government employees have got every right to fight against this injustice and discrimination. The Modi government has once again shown its cruel face towards its own employees by issuing an order on March 20 threatening the employees of dire consequences if they participate in any anti-NPS agitation,” she said.
The directive had said that there was no statutory provision empowering the employees to go on strike. It said the Supreme Court had also agreed in several judgements that going on a strike was a grave misconduct under the Conduct Rules and that misconduct by the government employees was required to be dealt with in accordance with the law. “Any employee going on strike in any form, including protest, would face the consequences which, besides deduction of wages, may also include appropriate disciplinary action,” Ms. Kaur said.
