14 LAKH GOVT EMPLOYEES GO ON STRIKE OVER OPS

First India Bureau

Mumbai: Over 14 lakh state government employees seeking restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) went on strike on Tuesday. The move could hamper the functioning of the state administration and affect many services.

Paramedics working in hospitals run by the state government and civic bodies, sanitation workers, and teachers have also joined the strike at a time when examinations for Class X and XII are underway.

The employees resorted to the strike after the talks between the unions and the state government failed on Monday.

On Tuesday, employees raised slogans like “Only One Mission, Restore Old Pension” outside government offices and hospitals.

Vishwas Katkar, the convenor of a committee of nearly 35 unions representing government employees, semi-government staffers and teachers, said their members in all 36 districts are participating in the stir.

“Services in hospitals, educational institutes, government establishments, tax offices and even the district collector offices were com- pletely shut,” Katkar claimed.

He asserted there will be no compromise on the issue and demanded that the OPS, under which the entire pension amount was given by the government, must be restored.

Since 2004, government employees (barring armed forces personnel) are covered under the National Pension System, a contributory scheme where the payout is market-linked and return-based.

IN NAGPUR AND LATUR..

z Nurses, ward boys and sanitation staff of Government Medical College and Hospitals, and Indira Gandhi Government Medical College and Hospital, both in Nagpur, joined the strike along with employees of the local civic corporation. They also staged demonstrations in Nagpur in support of the OPS and other demands.

z In Latur in central Maharashtra, thousands of government employees from various departments took out a march and protested against the state administration. The march started from Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Park and concluded at the old collector office, and during the protest, agitators held placards and raised slogans like “Only One Mission, Old Pension”.

MAHARASHTRA PTA CALLS OFF STRIKE

Mumbai: The Primary Teachers Association of Maharashtra chose to call off the strike on Tuesday. The organization has about two and a half lakh employees across the state. After withdrawing from the strike, Sambhaji Thorat, President of the Association, said, “We have withdrawn from the strike. The day the government will not give us pension, we will stand on dharna in front of you. If the government is giving, then some problems of the government should be understood. For that, we will again meet the chief minister and the deputy chief minister and will discuss the issues.”

March For Fairness In Solapur

Solapur: The administrative work in Solapur came to a standstill due to the indefinite strike called by the state government and semi-government employees to implement the old pension scheme. Most of the services like education, health, revenue, agriculture, among others, were affected by the strike. In the afternoon, a march was taken out by the Government and Semi-Government Employees Coordination Committee to the collector’s office wherein about 20,000 employees of the city as well as the Solapur district participated.

SATARA’S

Bone Of Contention

Satara: Over 13,500 government employees went on strike in Satara demanding implementation of the Old Pension Scheme. After 46 years, the state government and its employees have come face to face on the issue in Satara. The government has assured that disciplinary action will be taken against the employees participating in the strike. The district’s Health Department, Education Department, municipal corporations, teaching staff, etc, are involved in the strike.