In Mahoba today, under the banner of Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), employees of various government and semi-government departments demonstrated strongly at the Collectorate with their demands. Employees of about a dozen departments, including Health, Transport, Co-operative Bank and Co-operative Bank, united and raised a voice for important demands like abolition of contract system, increase in pension and reform in the new labor code and submitted an 8-point memorandum to the Prime Minister through the District Magistrate.
This massive demonstration was carried out under the nationwide call to implement the proposals of the 21st All India Convention of the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh held in Puri, Orissa. Employees holding banners and posters in their hands made the Collectorate premises echo with slogans.
Major 8 point demands of employees
In the memorandum, the employees have mainly put forward the following demands regarding their rights:
- Increase in minimum pension: The minimum pension of EPS pensioners should be increased from Rs 1000 to Rs 7500 per month and it should be compulsorily linked to Dearness Allowance (DA).
- Increase in salary limit: The salary limit for EPF contribution should be increased from Rs 15,000 to Rs 30,000 and for ESI it should be increased to Rs 42,000.
- End of contract system and regularization: Scheme workers and contract workers working in all departments should be made permanent.
- Ban removed from government recruitments: The undeclared ban on new recruitments in government jobs should be removed with immediate effect.
- Reforms in Labor Code: The welfare of workers should be improved in the new Labor Code of the Central Government (especially the Industrial Relations Code and Working Conditions Code). Speakers stressed that labor laws should be implemented in the spirit of Antyodaya, without any relaxation.
The employees say that they have been struggling for their legitimate demands for a long time. If the government does not take any positive action on their demands soon, then they will be forced to intensify their agitation in the coming times.