COMPULSORY RETIREMENT ISSUE: UNIONS THREATEN STIR
LUCKNOW: Upset over the UP government plan to compulsorily retire non-performing officials above the age of 50 years, employees unions have threatened to launch a stir if the order is not withdrawn. “Government employees are feeling cheated and let down by this controversial order issued by the state chief secretary. It is impractical, unjustified and amounts to exploitation. We will not allow it to be implemented and launch a stir if it is not withdrawn immediately,” said Hari Kishore Tiwari, president of State Employees Joint Council (SEJC) at a press conference on Friday.
Upset over the UP government plan to compulsorily retire non-performing officials above the age of 50 years, employees unions have threatened to launch a stir if the order is not withdrawn.
“Government employees are feeling cheated and let down by this controversial order issued by the state chief secretary. It is impractical, unjustified and amounts to exploitation. We will not allow it to be implemented and launch a stir if it is not withdrawn immediately,” said Hari Kishore Tiwari, president of State Employees Joint Council (SEJC) at a press conference on Friday.
“Unemployment is a big problem in the state. This diktat by the government would only exacerbate the situation. We demand that the government should take back the order forthwith,” said Dinkar Kapoor, president of the UP Workers’ Front.
“Instead of forcing them to take retirement, the state government can impart skill enhancing training to employees whose performance is not up to the mark,” said Kapoor.
“With the rise in population, most government departments are facing increased workload and there is a huge shortage of hands. There are at least 40% government vacancies in various departments. Instead of focusing on how to meet the shortfall, the government has come up with this arbitrary order,” pointed out Tiwari of SEJC.
Both the unions have threatened to hold protest demonstration if any attempt is made to implement the order.
On Thursday, the chief secretary had issued an order to all additional chief secretaries, principal secretaries and secretaries to screen and prepare a list of incompetent employees, who had attained the age of 50 years.
“Those whose performance is not up to the mark would be considered for compulsorily retirement as per the government rules,” said the order issued after chief minister Yogi Adityanath called for strict adherence to compulsory retirement rule.
The three-month-old Adityanath government dusted the service rule book to weed out the underperformers under a provision first proposed in 1985 but rarely used. Timely disposal of work, punctuality and public image are some of the criteria the staff would be measured against. Based on the ratings, department heads would recommend names for compulsory retirement or termination.
POWER ENGINEERS TOO PROTEST MOVE
Chief secretary Rajive Kumar’s orders on giving compulsory retirement to inefficient government staff above 50 years has evoked a sharp reaction from the power engineers too.
Terming the orders as an attempt to scare government employees, engineers’ leader Shailendra Dubey on Friday urged chief minister Yogi Adityanath to ask the chief secretary to recall the controversial order immediately.
“Earlier a ban on strike and now threat of compulsory retirement is aimed at diverting attention from the burning issues of power engineers and other government employees,” he alleged.
He said there were no objective set norms for giving compulsory retirement to employees. “Instead, it was an arbitrary and unjust exercise and engineers will oppose the fresh order tooth and nail,” he said.
Dubey said the high court had often set aside the compulsory retirements given on the basis of biased confidential reports.