People's Democracy

State Govt Employees to Observe Protest Day on Sept 16

THE All India State Government Employees� Federation (AISGEF) has decided to observe an All India Protest Day on September 16 on its 10-point demands. On that day, protest demonstrations will be held in each state from the capital to the block level.

The national executive of the AISGEF took this decision in its meeting at Delhi on July 18 and 19, attended by  representatives from 24 affiliates in various states. The decision was taken after the union budget 2009-10 was presented to the parliament, amid very difficult conditions facing the Indian people because of the abnormal rise in the prices of petroleum products and other necessary commodities.  

The Protest Day will press for the following demands concerning the employees and other working people.       

1) A curb on the price Rise, strengthening of the public distribution system and exemption of the essential commodities including food grains from online and forward trading. Withdrawal of the increase in the prices of petrol and diesel.              

2) Stop to disinvestment in public sector undertakings, retreat from the attempt to raise the ceiling cap on foreign direct investment in banking and insurance industries, and rejection of any foreign direct investment in retail trade.          

3) Recruitment to all the vacant posts in central and state government offices and to all teaching and non-teaching posts on regular basis.

4) Stop to all outsourcing, contractual and temporary appointments, and inclusion of all those under such appointments into regular appointments.

5) Withdrawal of the notorious PFRDA bill. Rescinding of the steps to privatise the pension funds and inclusion of all the new recruits into the existing defined benefit pension scheme.        

6) Guaranteeing the right to strike as a constitutional and fundamental right.

7) Withdrawal of the outdated Government Servants� Conduct Rules and its replacement by democratically enacted service rules.  

8) Grant of one month�s pay as bonus to all, without any ceiling.         

9) Devolution of more central funds as share of taxes to the state governments, and parity of wages at least in government service.  

10) Enactment of a law to reserve 33 per cent of the seats in parliament and state legislatures for women. Ensuring the immediate intervention of the administration to redress the grievances of, discriminatory attitude and sexual harassments against the women employees. Constitution of committees at state, district and office levels on the guidelines of the judgement of the Supreme Court as outlined in the Visakha case. (INN)