People's Democracy

AISGEF Demands Pro-Worker Policies

HELD at Kolkata on June 23, an extended meeting of the secretariat of the All India State Government Employees Federation (AISGEF) welcomed the formation of the UPA government led by Dr Manmohan Singh and expressed hope that the government would take urgent measures to mitigate the sufferings of the government employees and toiling people in general and of the jobless millions, with new policy initiatives within the framework of its common minimum programme (CMP).

Through a unanimously adopted resolution, the meeting urged the government to take the following steps.

1. Ensure to the government employees the right to strike in the background of the infamous Supreme Court ruling and the biggest ever working class strike on February 24, 2004 protesting against the ruling and demanding the right to strike.

2. Stop closure, privatisation and corporatisation of government departments, and immediately stop implementation of the expenditure commission’s and Rakesh Mohan committee’s reports.

3. Restart new recruitment to vacancies in government offices, particularly in the interest of the jobless youth, with special emphasis on employment generation as mentioned in the CMP.

4. Stop the contemplated change in the pension system for government employees and cuts in the existing benefits; allocate adequate funds for payment of DA to the state employees.

5. Restore the earlier rates of interest of PF and small savings.

6. Repeal the outdated Government Servants Conduct  Rules framed by the British.

7. Reverse the policies pursued by the NDA government against the interests of the state governments, regarding grants and loans, which weakened the states’ financial position.

8. Change the direct tax policies that benefit the rich; extend the tax base and its quantum, unearth black money and realize the non-performing assets (NPAs) of banks from the defaulting industrialists.

9. Grant consultative status to the AISGEF concerning labour and related matters.

The AISGEF also sought for an interview with the prime minister at the earliest. (INN)