About 32 lakh Central Government employees including railways, defence and postal department have decided to go on indefinite strike from July 11, for which they will serve strike notices to their respective departments on June 9.

This has been decided by the Joint Action Committee (NJAC), according to a statement. Shivagopal Mishra, Convenor of NJAC, stated that there has been no action on the Seventh Pay Commission report, six months after its submission. The charter of demands calls for settling issues related to recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission implementation sent to the Cabinet Secretary on December 10, 2015.

“Remove injustice done in the assignment of pay scales to technical/safety categories in railways, defence and different categories in all Central government establishments,” NJAC has demanded. It has also called for scrapping of PFRDA Act and the new defined contribution pension scheme – National Pension Scheme – and restoring defined benefit schemes of pension/family pension rules. Since 2004, all Central government employees — except defence personnel, who are covered in defined benefit pension scheme - have been shifted to defined contribution scheme.

NJAC is a joint body of federations and unions representing 32 lakh employees in Central government departments, including postal, railway and defence workers. Indian Railways is the largest government employer with 13 lakh employees.

Earlier this year, in February, almost 95 per cent of 9.69 lakh railway employees had voted in favour of an indefinite strike from April 11, which was deferred after the Cabinet Secretary requested the NJAC to do in the backdrop of the then-forthcoming-elections in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam and Kerala.

Mamuni.das@thehindu.co.in

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