TNGEA stage protest demanding revival of old pension scheme

The Tamil Nadu Government Employees Association (TNGEA) on Thursday staged a protest in Madurai, as part of a State-wide exercise, demanding revival of the old pension scheme.

As promised during the election campaign for the Assembly polls, the DMK government should immediately abolish the Contributory Pension Scheme and implement the old pension scheme, TNGEA district secretary K. Chandrabose said.

Another repeated and key demand pertained to filling up of lakhs of existing vacancies in the State. The delay in filling up the vacancies had only burdened the employees who were mandated and pressured to take over  additional responsibilities and work, he further said.  

The government should also provide regular timescale pay and statutory pension to employees working under special time scale, consolidated pay, or honorarium (noon meal scheme workers, anganwadi workers, Revenue Village Assistants, Rural Librarians, MRB Nurses, PPP & COE staff, etc.). The government must immediately release the 21 months of dearness allowance arrears that had not been paid to lakhs of employees and teachers.   

The protesters also demanded revocation of the reduction in appointments made on compassionate grounds from 25% to 5% and restore the earlier norm of 25%. 

Another major change in employment practice that was plaguing every service in the State was the system of outsourcing. “As it is the root cause for several irregularities and accidents, the government should immediately cancel the appointment of staff through outsourcing by private companies in crucial departments including health, municipality, corporation, town panchayat, revenue and land survey. Instead, permanent employees should be appointed under the time scale pay system,” he added.  

Additionally, the protesters also pushed for regularisation of workers of corporations, municipalities, town panchayats, and rural development departments as government employees. 

Around 90 members who had gathered to protest were detained by police and released in the evening.