Govt employees call off strike after CM assures OPS-like scheme

Mumbai: After staying on strike for six days, over 1

Mumbai: After staying on strike for six days, over 1.8 million state government employees withdrew their agitation on Monday following an assurance from Chief Minister Eknath Shinde that the government would ensure a mechanism along the lines of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS). OPS, which has greater benefits than the current National Pension Scheme (NPS), was discontinued in 2005, and employees were demanding its reinstatement.

Mumbai, India - March 20, 2023: CM Eknath Shinde during the Maharashtra Budget Session, at Vidhan Bhavan, Nariman Point, in Mumbai, India, on Monday, March 20, 2023. (Photo by Anshuman Poyrekar/ Hindustan Times) (Anshuman Poyrekar/HT PHOTO)

Vishwas Katkar, convenor of the steering committee of unions, said that their discussion with Shinde on implementing OPS with retrospective effect was successful. “The CM approved our demand in principle,” said Katkar, while calling off the strike in the Vidhan Bhavan premises. “This means that there will not be any difference between the pension amount of the existing NPS and the OPS. He has given us an assurance in writing.”

Speaking in the assembly, Shinde said the government was “positive” vis-a-vis the OPS demand, and a decision would be taken once the recommendations of a state-appointed committee were received. Deputy chief minister and state finance minister Devendra Fadnavis, on his part, said that the government agreed with employees that they should have social security after retirement. “The four-member committee appointed by us will submit its recommendations, which will work out how retired employees can have enough resources for their post-retirement life,” he said. “The unions will also hold discussions with the committee, which is expected to give its report in three months.”

Shinde had on March 14 announced the committee with retired IAS officers Subodh Kumar, K P Bakshi and Sudhir Kumar Srivastava and the director, directorate of accounts and treasury, as members. The panel has been asked to give recommendations to ensure the financial and social security of NPS beneficiaries in the state.

Speaking in the legislative council on Monday, Shinde said that the unions, after attending the meeting with him and chief secretary Manukumar Srivastava, accepted the government’s appeal and decided to withdraw the strike. Shinde welcomed the decision, given the challenges currently being faced by the state such as unseasonal rains and hailstorms. “A decision on OPS will be taken once the committee submits its report,” he said. “We will work towards getting the report at the earliest, and an appropriate decision will be taken accordingly.”

Before meeting the striking unions, the chief minister had also held a meeting with the unions of Class 1 and Class 2 officers, who had threatened to go on strike from March 28 if the employees’ issues were not resolved.

Katkar said that the state government had assured him that no action would be taken against the employees for going on strike. “We have been assured that the days will be adjusted against employees’ leave and all notices served on them will be withdrawn,” he said.

Around 1.8 million employees comprising Class 3 and Class 4 workers started the indefinite strike from March 14. The demand was raised after states like Chhattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh began implementation of OPS, and gained ground during the recent legislative council elections when teachers’ unions made its restoration a condition for voting in teachers and graduates’ constituencies.

The opposition parties too supported the demand, and worried about the impact of this on the election results, both chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis announced that the government was considering the re-introduction of OPS.