THE joint platform of central trade unions and sectoral federations/associations on August 31, unanimously denounced the renewed move of the central government to unilaterally and on absolutely arbitrary grounds, impose conditions for forced premature retirement on its employees.

The office memorandum issued by the ministry of personnel, public grievances and pensions, department of personnel and training on August 28 arms the government with powers to give any government employee marching orders after completing 30 years of service or reaching 50/55 years of age or older, said the union leaders.

They said that the employees, would be made to retire 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 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, the unions decried.

“Such move of the government 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 and complete abrogation of labour rights in favour of the employers, dismantling of public sector and some government departments in detriment to national interests. The government is likely to use these powers to weed out any employee even remotely suspected of standing up for his/her rights,” said a joint statement released by the trade unions.

The joint platform of central trade unions and sectoral federations/associations condemned the authoritarian and arbitrary move of the government and demanded immediate withdrawal of the office memorandum.

The joint platform of CTUs and sectoral federations/associations also called upon the government employees and their organisations to unitedly and resolutely oppose such autocratic and arbitrary moves with the assurance of wholehearted support in their struggles by the entire trade union movement of the country.