CENTRAL GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES-THE HIDDEN TRUTH ABOUT REDUCTION OF REGULAR POSTS & RETIREMENT AGE..

Rumors were being spread for quite some time that Central Government is considering to reduce the retirement age of its employees from the present 60 to 58 years. This Association has been receiving enormous phone calls enquiring the factual position of the rumors. Several of the central Government Employees who are in the verge of retirement were anxious because many of them are yet to be free from their family responsibilities viz. marriage of daughter, education of children and other social obligation and the sole income for them is the salary and if the Government all of a sudden reduce the retirement age that will affect them detrimentally.

Moreover, implementation of 7^th Pay Commission will be taken place from 01/01/20016 and the person retiring before 01/01/2016 will get less retirement benefits and thus rumors of reduction of retirement age become a cause of doubt that Government is seriously considering to reduce the retirement age of its employees before the implementation of the 7^th Pay Commission report.

On the other hand it was spreading that the proposal of reduction of retirement age is a part of the Government’s policy to give employment to young generation. But the fact is that Ministry of Finance in the month of October 2014 has issued order for not creating new plan/Non Plan posts. The order issued vide order No. 7(1)/E. Coord/2014 further says that Posts that have remained vacant for more than a year are not to be revived except under very rare and unavoidable circumstances and after seeking clearance of Department of Expenditure. It is to be noted that lakhs of posts, most of them are Group C posts, are lying vacant in various Ministries of Government of India from years together. To know the factual position, the sanctioned strength, working strength and vacancy of central Government civilian employees in the year 1995-96 and 2011-12 as given in the Memorandum submitted to the 7^th Pay Commission by the JCM Staff Side is given below.

Year	Sanctioned Strength	Working Strength	Vacancy	%age of vacant post
1995-96	4215932	3892778	325154	7.71
2011-12	3684543	3084530	600013	16.28

From the above it is clear that the sanctioned strength of civilian employees in 2011-12 is 531389 less than the sanctioned strength in the year 1995-96 out of which 600013 posts have been kept vacant on date.  It may also be noted that on one hand the Government is not willing to fill up these vacant posts and on the other  bend up on to reduce the posts further by issuing periodical orders.

 In order to justify the non filling of these posts, it is being spread that the Government is compelled to do all these to reduce the establishment expenses. People do not know the factual position of establishment charges of Central Government tend to argue in favour of the reduction. In this respect, the percentage of expenditure of pay and allowances of Civilian Government employees including the employees of the Union Territories as a percentage to revenue receipt and expenditure is given below:

Year	%age in accordance with revenue receipt	%age in accordance with revenue expenditure
1999-2000	18.7	13.6
2012-13	9.09	6.75

 The above figures exhibit the hollowness of the arguments of over expenses towards the pay and allowances of Central Government employees. And then why the Government is inclined to reduce the strength of Central Government Civilian Offices. It is to be read with the decisions of raising of FDI cap of defense sector from 26% to 49% and 100% FDI in Railways, Corporatization of the Postal Service, abolition of Planning Commission, etc. Moreover, Government is going ahead with close down or privatizing various other Central Government Departments including Printing Presses, Publication, Stationary and form offices and Medical Store Depots.

 Thus in order to make the takeover by the private sector more profitable, contractorisation of the work force and amendments of labour laws etc are essential. Out of the 3084530 posts as the total working strength of civilian employees in India, around 28.5 lakhs are Group C & D posts. Thus Government may be planning to contractorise these regular posts for the smooth privatization of the Government Sector. Reduction of retirement age, ban on direct recruitment, introduction of six days week etc are part and parcel of the policy. 

Clarification regarding reduction of retirement age and impact of the Nation Convention of Central Government Employees at Delhi:

But all of a sudden Government has come out with clarification that they have no intention to reduce the retirement age of Central Government Employees. Somebody termed it as a decision taken in view of the impending Delhi Election. But the impact of the National Convention of Central Government Employees at Delhi on the temporary change of decision on reduction of retirement age cannot be ruled out. The convention conducted on 11^th December 2014 attending more than 800 delegates from all Central Government Departments, including Railway and Defence has decided to organize various programmes of action culminating indefinite strike for the demands unsettled for several years. A ten point charter of demands, including the demand for filling up all vacant posts, stop privatization and contractorisation, merger of DA, Grant of Interim Relief, inclusion of Grameen Dak Sewaks within the ambit of the 7^th CPC etc., has been adopted. 

However, this did not affect the decision of FDI in Defence, Railway and Insurance Sector and closing of various Central Government Offices; the Government is going ahead with their programme. And in order to dilute the natural reaction of the employees & working class, enormous rumors viz. introduction of 6 days week, 58 years and issues affecting their community and belief are being spread to get the issues affecting the common people individualized. Working class especially the Government employees should realize that this is not only attacks on them but this is attack on poor & middle class people of this country who are looking forward for better education, health, employment and thereby better life as well.  Thus the Government employees are duty bond to educate their fellow workers how deep the attack is and how to organize the entirety of Central Government Employees for the indefinite strike called by the National Convention of the Central Government Employees in its own importance and without doing these basic works a reversal of the policies of the Government cannot be expected.

TKR Pillai, General Secretary