People's Democracy

Govt Employees And Teachers Prepare For Dec 14 Strike

THE government employees and teachers together with the entire working class of the country will observe a massive countrywide general strike on December 14, 2006 on the 16-point charter of demands to register their strong protest against the offensive of neo-liberal globalisation on all sectors of the employees and workers.

The main issues affecting the government employees and teachers are New Pension Bill which seeks to introduce a Contributory Pension Scheme with 10 per cent cut in monthly salaries of the employees to be deposited in domestic or foreign private companies who in turn will invest it in stock market for reaping profit. The Pension Fund Regulatory Development Authority (PFRDA) will regulate how to distribute a part of the profit, if any, accrued from stock market to the employees after their retirement with major share of profit to be swallowed by the private companies who will be the Fund Managers.

Thus the age-old pension system of the employees as the best social security measure enjoyed by them will be totally destroyed.

The government is trying to get the PFRDA Bill passed in the winter session of the parliament itself in slavish obedience of World Bank-IMF directives in the services of the International Finance Capital.

Altogether about 1.2 crore of employees in the state and central sector, civil defence, railways, teachers, state undertakings and other municipal, panchayat and the employees in teaching institutions along with their dependents who are, according to present system, entitled to family pension after death of the employees will be thoroughly cheated by the PFRDA Bill.

The AISGEF has decided to thoroughly resist with all its strength the passing of this totally anti-employee bill in the parliament.

In preparation of the December 14, 2006 general strike and to focus the attention of the people and the government on the employees’ total disapproval of the bill, the All India State Government Employees Federation has given a call to the employees to observe ‘Save Pension Day’ on December 5, 2006 at all levels by holding rallies and demonstrations. Other main demands are granting of the Right to Strike, stopping downsizing, VRS, privatisation of government departments, contract appointment, etc and filling up all vacancies in all government departments so that lakhs of unemployed youths get jobs immediately. Altogether in government sector including railways about 20 lakhs of posts are vacant all over the country. 

Full preparation for a complete strike is going on all over the country and the AISGEF is fully convinced that December 14, 2006 general strike will be of unparalleled dimensions.

The AISGEF warned the government of India and the state governments who are obediently following the World Bank-IMF dictates to reverse the ill-conceived anti-worker policies, otherwise bigger and more militant countrywide struggles will follow and the government will face the consequences.