Government employees threaten strike demanding old pension scheme

-Indefinite strike from March 14, will not put any additional burden on government coffers

Aurangabad: The Maharashtra State Government Employees Federation (MSGEF) has threatened to go on an indefinite strike from March 14 unless their demand to implement the old pension scheme for all 17 lakh employees of the State is met. The general secretary of the association, Vishwas Katkar, warned that the government has saved money by not paying pension to retired employees for the last 17 years and implementing the old pension scheme will not burden the government exchequer.

He was speaking in a meeting of office bearers of all organizations held on Friday at Tapadia Natyamandir for the preparation and promotion of the strike. Katkar said, deputy chief minister and state finance minister Devendra Fadnavis had earlier stated that the new pension scheme should be cancelled and the old scheme implemented for all. The old pension scheme has already been implemented in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Jharkhand, and Himachal Pradesh. The decision is also under consideration in the States of Sikkim and Goa.

Fadnavis had claimed that implementing the old pension scheme will put a burden of around Rs 2.40 lakh crores on the government coffers. However, Katkar has argued that there will be no immediate burden on the exchequer as there are 15 lakh employees presently in service from 19 lakh posts in the State. The State budget of Rs 4.50 lakh crores shows 34 percent of salary expenditure for government employees, with 24 percent being salary and 9 percent being pension expenditure. Ashok Dagde, Avinash Daid, state vice president Dr Devidas Jarare, Ganesh Deshmukh, Surendra Sartape, Subodh Kirloskar and other members were present.