AIDEF Pledge On Gandhi Jayanti – Will Fight Against NPS And UPS

The All India Defence Employees Federation representing 3.5 Lakhs Defence Civilian Employees working in the 41 Ordnance Factories, 52 DRDO Labs, Military Engineering Services & various defence units under the Army, Navy & Air force and also Quality Assurance Agency, DGQA & DGAQA for the past more than 20 years is relentlessly fighting against the Contributory Pension Scheme namely NPS, introduced for the Central Government Employees recruited on or after 01.01.2004.

Government employees should not be subjected to any Contributory Pension Scheme and they should be entitled for the Non- Contributory Old Pension Scheme which carries lot of protection including to the Family. While the Hon’ble Supreme Court has categorically ruled that the Pension is the right of the Government employees, unfortunately, the Government is treating Pension as a liability.

More than 5 Lakhs Central Government and State Government employees had assembled at Ram Lila Maidan in New Delhi on 08.08.2024 and took a pledge that other than the Non-Contributory Old Pension Scheme they will not accept any other Contributory Pension Scheme and that they will fight against the NPS and that they are also prepared for indefinite strike for achieving the Old Pension Scheme.

The Government of India due to the pressure built up by the Government Employees, appointed a Committee under the then Finance Secretary, T V Somanathan for improvement in NPS, which the AIDEF rejected and boycotted the same, since the demand of the Government employees is not for any improvement in NPS but for restoration of Non-Contributory Old Pension Scheme.

The Government unilaterally approved the T V Somanathan Committee recommendation for introducing another Contributory Pension Scheme on 24.08.2024, the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) which is more disastrous than the NPS Scheme. Further, AIDEF boycotted the meeting convened by the Hon’ble Prime Minister with the Leader of the Central Government Employees since the PM has invited the Leaders only to announce the decision of introducing UPS & not restoration of Old Pension Scheme.

The AIDEF, rejected the UPS and has decided to continue the battle against the NPS & UPS and to achieve the Non-Contributory Old Pension Scheme. Accordingly, to mark the commencement of the agitation against the NPS & UPS, the Defence Civilian Employees all over the Country under the banner of AIDEF have assembled in front of the Gandhi Ji Statues / Gandhi Ji Portrait and have taken the following Pledge :-

PLEDGE

I __ a Defence Civilian Employee commit myself to join in all the struggles and agitations to get liberated from the disastrous NPS & UPS Contributory Pension Scheme. I also support and will participate in all the Trade Union Action Programs to achieve the Non Contributory Pension Under CCS Pension Rule 1972 (now 2021).

I pledge I will not rest till I achieve the Non Contributory Old Pension Scheme and all of us are one in transpiring this genuine and justified demand of the Government Employees in to a reality.

AIDEF will further mobilize all like minded Organizations who are in the Field against both NPS & UPS and plan Nationwide agitation in the coming days to achieve Non-Contributory Old Pension Scheme Under CCS Pension Rules 1972 (now 2021). In Jabalpur the Pledge was taken by Defence Workers in the presence of S N Pathak, President and in Chennai at Avadi in the presence of C. Srikumar, General Secretary.