50th ANNIVERSARY OF 1968 SEPTEMBER 19th STRIKE
(The article published
in Confederation website during last September 2017
is reproduced
below.)
M.
KRISHNAN
Secretary
General,
Confederation
of Central Govt.
Employees &
Workers
2018
September 19th is the 50th Anniversary of 1968 September 19th one day
strike. All leaders and workers who led and participated in that historic
strike have either retired from service or are no more.
The
indefinite strike of Central Govt. Employees in1960 was the first major strike
of Central Govt. Employees after independence. The five days strike
from 1960 July 11 midnight was brutally suppressed by the Central Government
declaring it as “Civil Rebellion”. The main demand of the strike was
improvement and modifications in the 2nd CPC recommendations. The
Need Based Minimum Wage, though adopted by the 15th Indian Labour Conference in
1957 was rejected by the 2nd CPC.
The
Joint Consultative Machinery (JCM) was constituted in 1966 by then Home
Minister Guljarilal Nanda, as per the decision of the Government. The
apprehension of the progressive leadership that this negotiating machinery may
not settle any major demands of the Central Govt. employees and may become just
a talking shop or a time killing business, ultimately resulting in abnormally
delaying the genuine demands, came true within a year of its formation. In
the very first meeting of the National Council JCM, the following three demands
were notified by the staff side.
1.Grant of Need Based Minimum Wage as
approved by the 1957 Tripartite Labour Conference.
2.Merger of DA with Pay.
3.Revision of DA formula
After prolonged discussion for about one and a half year, disagreement was recorded. As per JCM Scheme once disagreement is recorded, the item should be referred to compulsory arbitration. But Govt. rejected the demand for arbitration. Protesting against this arbitrary stand of the Govt. the staff side leadership walked out of the JCM and decided to go for one day’s strike. A Joint Action Committee was formed and the date of the strike was decided as 19th September 1968. Even though, the INTUC affiliated organizations were initially a part of the strike decision, later on they decided not to join the strike due to the intervention of the then Congress Government headed by Smt. Indira Gandhi.
The following were
the main demands of the strike charter of demands.
1.Need Based Minimum Wage.
2.Full neutralization of rise in prices.
3.Merger of DA with Basic Pay.
4.With drawl of proposal to retire employees
with 50 years of age or on completion of 25 years of service.
5.Vacate victimization and reinstate
victimized workers.
6.No retrenchment without equivalent
alternative jobs.
7.Abolition of Contract and Casual Labour
System.
Strike
notice was served and the Joint Action Council (JAC) decided to commence the
strike at 0600 AM on 19th September 1968. Intensive campaign was
conducted throughout the country. AIRF, AIDEF and Confederation was
the major organizations in the JAC. Govt. invoked Essential Services
Maintenance Ordinance (ESMO) to deal with the strike. Govt. also
issued detailed instructions to impose heavy penalty including suspension,
dismissal, termination, Break-in-service etc. on the striking
employees. Para-military force (CRPF) and Police were deployed to
deal with the strike. Central Govt. gave orders to all state
Governments to suppress the strike at any cost. It was a war-like
situation. Arrest of Leaders started on 18th September
itself. About 3000 employees and leaders were arrested from Delhi
alone. All over India about 12000 Central Government employees and
leaders were arrested and jailed.
Inspite
of all these brutal repressive measures the strike commenced on 18th after noon
itself at many places and was a thundering success all over India and in all
departments including Railway, Defence, P&T etc. About 64000
employees were served with termination notices, thousands removed from service
and about 40000 employees suspended. Seventeen (17) striking
employees had been brutally killed at Pathankot, Bikaner, Delhi Indraprastha
Bhawan and at Upper Assam in lathi charge, firing by police and
military and by running the train over the bodies of employees who picketed the
trains.
Though
the strike was only for one day on 19th September 1968, the victimization and
repression continued for days together. Struggle against
victimization also continued including work-to-rule agitation, hunger fast of
leaders from 10th October 1968. There was unprecedented support to
the strike and relief work and also to agitation for reinstatement of the
victimized workers, from National Trade Unions, state employees and teachers
Unions/Federations etc. A mass rally was organized before
the residence of Prime Minister of India Smt. Indira Gandhi on 17th
October, 1968.
Kerala
was ruled by the Communist Govt. during the strike. Chief Minister
Com. E. M. S. Namboodiripad declared Kerala Govt’s full support to the strike
of Central Government employees. The Central Govt. threatened
dismissal of the Kerala Govt. for defying the Centre’s directive to suppress
the strike. There was heavy victimization in Kerala and Com.N.P.Padmanabhan,
State Convener of strike committee was dismissed from service and taken back
into service only after 10 years in 1978 when the Janatha Govt came to power at
Centre.
1968
September 19th strike is written in red letters in the history of Indian
Working Class. The demand raised by the Central Govt. employees -
Need Based Minimum Wage - was the demand of entire working people of
India. Even today, the Central Govt. employees and other section of
the working class are on struggle path for realization of the Need Based
Minimum Wage. The demand of the Central Govt. employees to modify
the recommendations of the 7th Central Pay Commission to ensure Need Based
Minimum Wage is not yet conceded by the BJP-led NDA Government. Even
the assurance given by three Cabinet Ministers including Home Minister, Finance
Minister and Railway Minister regarding increase in Minimum Pay and Fitment
formula is not honoured by the Govt. even after a lapse of two year
and entire Central Government employees feel cheated.
It
is in this background, we are commemorating the 1968 September 19th strike. Let
us pledge that we shall continue our struggle for realization of the demands
raised by the martyrs of the 1968 strike. Let us pay respectful
homage to those valiant fighters who sacrificed their life for the working
class of India. Let us salute and honour all those who participated
in the historic strike, especially those who had been victimized severally for
joining the strike. Let us organize various programmes throughout
the country at all levels, to commemorate the inspiring memory of 1968
September 19th strike.
********************************************
NEW CONTRIBUTORY PENSION
SYSTEM (NPS)
M.krishnan
Secretary
General
Confederation
of Central Govt.
Employees &
Workers
Pension system was in vogue in India for a century or more and the British
Government during the pre-independence era introduced Pension Rules for
Government employees and thus made it statutory. In the year 1982 Supreme
Court in its landmark judgement in Nakara’s case declared that - “as
per India’s constitution, Government is obliged to provide social and economic
security to pensioners and that Government retirees had the fundamental right
to pension..... Pension is not a bounty nor a matter of
grace depending upon the sweet will of the employer. It is not an
ex-gratia payment, but a payment for past service rendered. It is a
social welfare measure, rendering socio-economic justice to those who in the
hey days of their life, ceaselessly toiled for their employers on the assurance
that in their old age, they would not be left in lurch.”
During
the advent of globalisation policies in 1980’s the pension reforms also started
simultaneously. IMF & World Bank started publishing so many reports and
documents emphasizing the need for pension reforms. They also
started studying about the reforms to be undertaken in the pension sector in
India. In 2001, “IMF work paper on pension reforms in
India” and World Bank India specific report“India - the challenge of old
age income security” were published. Their work reports emphasized
that “Pension obligations or promises made by the Governments which have potential
of exerting pressure on Govt. finances, have been a subject of increased focus
in assessing medium to long term fiscal sustainability.” In tune with the
dictates of IMF and World Bank BJP-led NDA Government appointed Bhattacharjee
Committee in 2001 headed by Ex-Chief Secretary of Karnataka, to study and
recommend pension reforms. Thus after creating ground for pension
reforms, under the pretext of implementing recommendations of Bhattacharyya
Committee, the NDA Government introduced New Pension System called Defined
Contributory pension system for all employees who join service on or after
01-01-2004. The Congress-led UPA Government which came to power in 2004
continued with the reforms and promulgated an ordinance to legalise NPS.
But UPA-I Govt. could not pass the Pension Bill in Parliament due to stiff
opposition of Left Parties supporting it. Later when UPA-II Government
came to power the Pension Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) Bill was
passed in the Parliament with the support of BJP, the then opposition
party. Many State Governments governed by political parties other than
Left Parties, introduced Contributory Pension System for their employees from
various dates after 2004. Left Front Governments of Kerala, West Bengal
and Tripura refused to introduce the New Pension Scheme and they continued with
the old defined benefit pension scheme. Congress-led UDF Government
introduced NPS in Kerala. After BJP coming to power in Tripura also
Contributory Pension Scheme is introduced recently. In West Bengal
old Pension Scheme continues even now. Not only newly appointed Central
and State Government employees, almost all new entrants of public sector and
Autonomous bodies are also brought under the purview of NPS.
As
per New Contributory Pension Scheme an amount of 10% of pay plus Dearness
Allowance will be deducted each month from the salary of the employees covered
under NPS and credited to their pension account. Equal amount is to
be credited by the Government (employer) also. Total amount will go
to the Pension Funds constituted under the PFRDA Act. From the
pension fund the amount will go to the share market. As per the
PFRDA Act - “there shall not be any implicit or explicit assurance of
benefit except (share) market based guarantee mechanism to be purchased by the
subscribers”. Thus the amount deposited in Pension Fund may or may
not grow depending on the fluctuations in the share market. After
attaining 60 years of age i.e., at the time of retirement, 60% of the
accumulated amount in the Pension Account of the employee will be refunded and
the balance 40% will be deposited in an Insurance Annuity
Scheme. Monthly amount received from the Insurance Annuity Scheme is
the monthly pension i.e., Pension is not paid by Government, but by the
Insurance Company and hence NPS is nothing but Pension Privatization.
Thus
it can be seen that the growth of the accumulated amount in the Pension fund
depends upon the vagaries of share market. If the share markets
collapse, as happened during the 2008 world financial crisis, then the entire
amount in the pension fund may vanish. In that case employee will
not get any pension. Every fluctuation in the share market will
affect the future of pension of those employees who are covered under
NPS. Uncertainty about pension and retirement life looms large over
their heads. Even if there is a stabilized share market the 40% amount in
the annuity scheme is not enough to get 50% of the last pay drawn as pension,
which is the minimum pension as per old pension scheme. Many employees who
entered in service after 01-01-2004 has retired in 2017 and 2018 after
completing 12 & 13 years of service. They are getting Rs.1400- to Rs.1700-
only as monthly pension from Insurance Annuity Scheme. If they have entered
service in 2003 i.e., in the old pension scheme, they would have got 50% of the
last pay drawn as pension subject to a minimum of Rs.9000- as minimum pension,
that too without giving any monthly contribution towards pension from their salary.
In short, NPS is nothing but NO PENSION SYSTEM.
As
per clause 12(5) of the PFRDA Act even the employees and pensioners
who are not covered under NPS, can be brought under the Act by a Gazette
notification by the Government. Thus NPS is a Damocles’ sword
hanging over the head of all employees and
pensioners.
Who
is the beneficiary of this pension reforms? As in the case of every
neo-liberal reforms, the ultimate beneficiary is the Corporates. The
huge amount collected from the workers through pension fund is invested in
share market by the Pension Fund Managers and this amount in turn can be
utilied by the multi-national Corporates for multiplying their
profit. Amount deducted and credited to the Pension fund from each
newly recruited employees plus the employer’s share amount will remain with the
pension fund and share market for a period of minimum 30 to 35 years i.e., till
the age of 60 years. During this long period of 35 years crores and
crores of rupees will be at the disposal of share market controlled by
multinational corporate giants. Ultimate causality will be the poor
helpless employee/pensioner.
Confederation
of Central Government Employees and Workers and All India State Government
Employees Federation (AISGEF) has been opposing the NPS from the very beginning
and a one day strike was conducted on 30th October 2007. It was one
of the main demand in all other strikes during these period. The
campaign and struggle against NPS continued and as of now the subjective and
objective conditions for a bigger struggle against NPS has emerged as almost
50% of the total employees in Central, State, Public sector and Autonomous
bodies are now covered under NPS and are becoming more and more restive and
agitated. 7th Central Pay Commission Chairman Retired Supreme court
Judge Sri. Asok Kumar Mathur has correctly pointed out that “Almost a
whole lot of Government employees appointed on or after 01-01-2004, were
unhappy with New Pension Scheme. Govt. should take a call to look
into their complaint”.
As per the recommendations of
7th CPC, Central Government appointed a Committee called “NPS Committee”
for streamlining the functioning of NPS. The Staff-side has demanded before
this Committee to scrap NPS and guarantee for 50% of the last pay drawn as
minimum pension subject to a minimum of Rs.9000-. Even though, the Committee
has submitted its report 18 months back, the Government has not yet disclosed
the recommendations of the
Committee.
Confederation
and AISGEF has decided countrywide intensive campaign culminating in one day
strike on 15th November 2018 demanding that the Defined Contributory Pension
Scheme (New Pension Scheme - NPS) imposed on new entrants must be scrapped and
the Government should reintroduce the Defined Benefit Pension Scheme (Old
Pension Scheme - OPS) that was in vogue for a century or more. We are also
exploring the possibility of organizing an indefinite strike in the coming days
exclusively on one demand i.e., SCRAP NPS, RESTORE OPS for which
wider consultations are being made with all like-minded organizations.
......
Mob &
whatsapp: 09447068125
e-mail: mkrishnan6854@gmail.com
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