State govt employees demand OPS; threaten to go on strike from March 1

Bengaluru: The State Government Employees’ Union has given a one-week deadline to the government to fulfill two major demands, including the implementation of the old pension scheme (OPS).

If the demands are not met by February 28, the government employees will launch an indefinite strike from March 1, said C S Shadakshari, the president of the Karnataka State Government Employees Union.

He was speaking at an emergency meeting of the organization held on Tuesday at the Government Employees’ Hall in Cubbon Park.

Before the Model Code of Conduct for polls comes into effect, the state government should obtain an interim report from the 7th pay commission and implement a 40 percent fitment facility, he said elaborating on the demands of the employees.

States of Punjab, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Himachal Pradesh have already reverted to teh Old Pension Scheme in the interest of government employees and the same should be implemented in Karnataka too, he said.

Further he said that the Karnataka budget presented by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai recently did not meet the expectations of the employees.

He implored the employees to join hands in the fight for their rights. The government could invoke the ESMA provisions as a form of intimidation, but everyone should actively participate in the protests, he said.

The former president of the association, Bhairappa, said that retired state government employees will also support the strike. The Union leader threatened to boycott the elections if the government did not meet the fair demands of the employees.