Joint Platform of Central Trade Unions and Sectoral Federations/Associations, in its meeting held on 31st August 2020, unanimously denounced the renewed move of the Govt of India to unilaterally and on absolutely arbitrary grounds, impose conditions for forced premature retirement on the Govt employees vide the Office Memorandum (OM) No. 25013/03/2019-Estt.A-IV dated 28th August 2020 issued by Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Department of Personnel and Training, Govt of India.
The above OM arms the Govt with powers to give any Govt employee marching orders after completing 30 years of service or reaching 50/55 years of age or older, i.e., five to ten years before the scheduled date of retirement, through forced premature retirement, on various vague grounds, such as, “ineffectiveness”, “doubtful integrity” etc., to mention only a few. A designated authority stipulated by the said OM is assigned with infinite power to pick and choose the targeted employee for such forced premature retirement on those vague and arbitrary grounds, and the victim-employee will not have the right to be heard prior to his forced retirement, as natural justice demands. Post-facto, he may approach Advisory Committee appointed by the Government, which amounts to the Executive sitting in Judgment!
Such move of the Govt of India reflects their overall autocratic attitude towards the basic rights of the employees, the workers and their unions, as also revealed by their hell-bent bid to alter all labour laws of the country, seeking to impose conditions of virtual slavery on the workers and complete abrogation of labour rights in favour of the employers, dismantling of Public Sector and some Govt Departments in detriment to national interests. The Govt is likely to use these powers to weed out any employee even remotely suspected of standing up for his/her rights.
The Joint Platform of Central Trade Unions and Sectoral Federations/Associations condemns such an authoritarian and arbitrary move of the Govt and demands immediate withdrawal of the said OM forthwith. The Joint Platform of CTUs and Sectoral Federations/Associations also calls upon the Govt employees and their organizations to unitedly and resolutely oppose such autocratic and arbitrary OM with the assurance of wholehearted support in their struggles by the entire trade union movement of the Country.
INTUC AITUC HMS CITU AIUTUC
TUCC SEWA AICCTU LPF UTUC
And Sectoral Federations and Associations
