P R E S S S T A T E M E N T
Dated: 12th February, 2014
As per the report received at the Central Head Quarters of the Confederation, near about 13 lakhs Central Government Employees have commenced the two day strike from Midnight of 11th Feb. 2014. For 48 hours. The Strike action will continue upto the midnight of 13th Feb. 2014. The functioning of the Government in the Postal, Income tax, Civil Accounts, Ground water Board, Botanical Survey of India, and many other organisations have been totally paralysed as in these departments, the offices could not even be opened . In all other Departments of the Government of India viz. the Printing and Stationery, Indian Audit and Accounts Department, Atomic Energy Commission offices, Custom & Central Excise, Defence Accounts, Indian Bureau of Mines, Geological Survey of India, other Survey of India organisations and offices, Census, the work has been paralysed.
The strike action became necessary due to the refusal of the Government to finalise the terms of reference of the proposed 7th CPC, grant interim relief and merger of DA with pay, inclusion of Gramin Dak Sewaks within the purview of the Pay Commission and scrapping of NPS and the settlement of the 15 point charter of demands, The employees are agitated over the action of the Government in getting the PFRDA enacted in the Parliament with the support of the BJP which contains the provision to bring in the existing employees and pensioners also within its ambit.
During the last 5 years, Government had been outsourcing various functions to Contractors with the result presently about one third of the workforce of the Government of India is contract labours getting only a pittance of salary. Lakhs of posts in various Departments of the Government are presently vacant due to the ban on recruitment aggravating the unemployment situation in the country.
The Government has virtually closed down all channels of discussions with the employees by not convening the meetings of the JCM both at the National and Departmental levels. There had been no avenue for the employees to air their grievances and seek redressal. Even the awards of the Board of Arbitration which were in favour of employees were allowed to pend implementation for 15 years and are now being brought before the Parliament for rejection invoking the sovereign authority of the legislature.
The incessant rise in the prices of essential commodities has eroded the value of wages fixed in 2006 phenomenally. The price rise over the years between 2006 and 2014 is estimated to be three times, whereas the DA compensation presently is only 90%. It has become difficult for the employees especially at the lower levels to meet even the basic requirements of a family life. The agonising situation arising from the apathy of the Government has given rise to anger and desperation, which has been reflected in their total participation in the strike action.
The reports received from the States indicate that the strike was total in Kerala, West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Tamilnadu, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, ’Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, J&K, HP, Rajasthan, U.P. and more than 90% in the rest of the States.
The National Secretariat of the Confederation is scheduled to meet on 18th Feb. to review and assess the response of the Government. If the Government continues with its nugatory attitude, the Secretariat will be left with no other alternative but to call upon the employees to go for indefinite strike action before the general election is announced.
S A R Majgaokar
Secretary Aipeu Group C
Mumbai City South Division
