OPS: Third rally of Ramlila Maidan; Employees will shout about OPS, 18 percent DA and formation of 8th Pay Commission
Two rallies of government employees have been held at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi demanding restoration of old pension.
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Two rallies of government employees have been held at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi demanding restoration of old pension. Now the third big rally is going to be held on 3rd November. In this rally, there will be a roar on the seven-point agenda, in which the first number is the abolition of NPS and restoration of OPS. After this, filling the vacant posts in the Central Government through regular recruitment, ban on privatization, formation of the Eighth Pay Commission and release of arrears of 18 months of DA stopped during the Corona period, these things are also included in the main demands of the employees. This rally will be held under the banner of Confederation of Central Government Employees and Workers. About 50 employee organizations including All India State Government Employees Federation will participate in it.
Employees started moving towards decisive battle
Let us tell you that the employee organizations of the Central and State Governments have started moving towards a decisive fight on 'old pension'. After two huge rallies of central employees, now the third big rally is going to be held at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi on 3rd November. However, along with OPS, many other issues will also be raised in this rally.
SB Yadav, General Secretary of the Confederation of Central Government Employees and Workers, said that filling the vacant posts in the Central Government through regular recruitment, banning privatization, constituting the Eighth Pay Commission and releasing the arrears of 18 months DA stopped during the Corona period. These things are also included in the main demands of the employees. Demonstrations are being held in a phased manner since last year regarding the pending demands of government employees. According to the manifesto of the Joint National Convention of the employees at Talkatora Indoor Stadium in Delhi on December 2022, the campaign of the employees is being taken forward. Conferences/seminars and demonstrations have been organized in the states also for the demands of the workers. Now in this series, a rally will be organized at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi on 3rd November.
PFRDA Act should be amended
According to Yadav, the main demands of the rally include amending the PFRDA Act or abolishing it completely. Unless this Act is abolished, the path of OPS being implemented in various states will remain difficult. The reason is that the money deducted from the employees under NPS is deposited with PFRDA. The central government has said that that money will not be returned to the states. In such a situation, wherever OPS is being implemented, nothing can be said about whether NPS will be implemented again as soon as the government changes. In such a situation, many issues will remain stuck in the OPS restoration being done by the states.
Yadav said that the departments of the Center and the states which have employees on contract or on daily wages should be regularized without any delay. Privatization should be stopped and the government's intention to downsize government enterprises should be stopped. The rights of the democratic trade union should be ensured. The National Education Program should be abandoned and the Eighth Pay Commission should be formed.
Two rallies of personnel have been held on OPS
The employee organizations of the Center and the States have clearly told the government that they will not accept anything less than the abolition of the unguaranteed 'NPS' scheme and the restoration of the 'old pension scheme' with defined and guaranteed. A rally of personnel was held on August 10 at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi. Shivgopal Mishra, national convenor of the steering committee of the National Joint Council of Action (NJCA) formed for OPS and secretary of the staff side National Council 'JCM', had said in the rally that if the old pension is not implemented before the Lok Sabha elections, then the BJP will Will have to suffer the consequences. Including employees, pensioners and their relatives, this number crosses ten crores. This number is decisive to cause a major upset in the elections.
Lakhs of workers were involved in 'Pension Shankhnaad Maharally'
On October 1, 'Pension Shankhnad Maharally' was organized at Ramlila Maidan itself. It was organized under the banner of National Movement for Old Pension Scheme (NMOPS). NMOPS President Vijay Kumar Bandhu said that old pension is the right of the employees. They will continue with it. Lakhs of employees of central and state governments participated in both the rallies. After that, the issue of 'OPS' was on the top of the agenda of the National Council (JCM) staff side meeting held on September 20. Representing the employees, All India Defense Employees Federation (AIDEF) General Secretary C. Sreekumar had said that we have once again reiterated our demand before the government. NPS should be abolished and the 'old pension scheme' should be reinstated as soon as possible. If the government does not agree then there will be a strike in the country leaving the pen and the wheels of the railway will be stopped.

