State & Central staff unions call for PFRDA/NPS repeal at joint convention

A joint national convention was organised to call on the central government to repeal the National Pension Scheme and the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) Act (NPS).

The conference was held on December 8 at Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi and was sponsored by the All India State Government Employee Federation (AISGEF) and Confederation of Central Government Employees and Workers (CCGEW).

Moanungsang, the president of Confederation of All Nagaland State Services Employees' Association (CANSSEA), Adabe Namgi, the treasurer, and Ato Lemanghu, the head of media and coordination, attended the convention on behalf of the state's teachers and employees, according to an update.

In their statements, AISGEF and CCGEW stated that "the NDA government introduced the New Pension System in the Central Government Service in 2004 as part of implementing neo-liberal policies," and "the government of India introduced the NPS in response to the IMF-World Bank Policy on pension reforms."

"The IMF and World Bank prescribed a total linkage of pension funds with the market economy in the wake of intensifying neoliberal globalisation and considering privatised pension schemes, which forced the scheme to depend on profit and loss from share market, without government control or intervention."

"Recently, the state governments of Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and Punjab issued instructions to roll back the previous pension plan.

The PFRDA Act can be repealed in the upcoming months with constant efforts, the statement continued, adding that it is the moral obligation of teachers and staff of the Central and State Governments to combat the destructive NPS.

The Convention included "regularising all contractual employees" among its other demands.

According to the report, daily wage, contract, or outsourced workers occupied roughly half of the authorised positions in many states.

"Most state governments and the Union share a common overall stance on the recruitment policy. The general approach and structure of neoliberal reforms is to decrease the government system as much as possible, according to the statement.

In order to oppose the neo-liberal, communal, and authoritarian dictums, it was consequently advised to "rise unified to fight for the demands and to work diligently for their defeat."