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After the strike by workers in ordnance factories, 18,000 employees of group B, C and D cadre with the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) have decided to go on strike on Wednesday demanding that over3,000 vacancies in the organisation be filled immediately.
The All India Employees Provident Fund Staff Federation (AIEPFSF), an umbrella organisation of the employees, has also threatened to go on an indefinite strike if its demands are not met.
AIEPFSF Secretary General R Krupakaran told BusinessLine that the Centre is making the EPFO “top-heavy”, which has created hurdles in the timely distribution of provident fund, pension and other related benefits to about 10 crore workers, who have enrolled in the EPFO.
Krupakaran said his organisation has served strike notice to the Labour Minister, Vice-Chairman of Central Board of Trustees and Central PF Commissioner, that about 18,000 employees will strike work on Wednesday.
‘Benefits being cornered’
He said while the CBT approved the restructuring of all cadres in the EPFO, the benefits were cornered by the Group A staff. “The CBT is keen to fill all the group A vacancies. The creation of more posts in the Group A cadre has increased government expenditure in terms of salary, purchase of cars for transport of the officers or engaging outside agency for transport, TA/DA, and transfer TA. However, no responsibility has been assigned to the above cadres with regards to the settlement of claims of workers and other related issues,” Krupakaran added.
The strike notice, served by the AIEPFSF, said sincere efforts and hard work put in by the Federation proved to be futile because of the Centre’s careless attitude. “It is shameful that even the points approved by the CBT-EPF (our supreme and governing body), particularly which would bring benefits to the working class of the EPFO, have not been implemented. Whereas, the points favourable to the officers in the Anomaly Redressal cum Implementation Committee were through, leaving the staff in the cadre in the lurch,” the notice said. They demanded immediate implementation of the recommendations of the redressal panel. “It is further annoying that our 80odd letters, related to various issues of the staff affairs, written to the management in the last three months, received no response, bringing disrespect to the recognised forum representing 95 per cent of the staff fraternity,” the notice said.
Unkept promises
The notice reminded the management that it had agreed to resolve all the legitimate demands of the Federation shortly. “The staff are denied leaves, even on medical grounds, and are being made to work during gazetted holidays.
The staff is also being served with memos, charge-sheets and punishment transfers,” the notice said.
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