Goemkarponn desk
PANAJI: The Goa Government Employees Association (GGEA) received assurances from Chief Minister Pramod Sawant that the government will no longer provide in-service extensions to retired government employees and that those that are currently provided will have their hours reduced.
The GGEA delegation was assured by Sawant, but they urged him to cease all service extensions because they were impeding timely promotions.
The GGEA expressed growing dissatisfaction among government employees in a memo submitted to the Chief Minister, stating that employees who retire from service after reaching superannuation age are sometimes given service extensions and are even hired on a contract basis following their retirement.
Even though the GGEA is opposed to service extensions being granted, many offices and departments are still moving files for requests for extensions, despite the fact that the number of people working on in-service extensions after retirement has initially decreased.
Abhay Mandrekar, president of the Association, stated that “GGEA feels that it is high time to end the subject of service extensions in Goa permanently.”
The Association has also insisted that all government workers hired after August 8, 2005 be given access to the previous pension plan.
It has been nearly eighteen years since the pension plan was put into place. The Association has noted that workers have begun to retire from their positions with the government.
The Association also drew attention to the fact that the new pension plan does not provide government employees with a fixed pension upon retirement, nor does it provide benefits to dependent families of deceased employees. Additionally, the association has insisted on pay scale parity.
It has been asserted that the Goa government disregarded selective pay upgradation, which was implemented during the period when the Fifth Pay Commission pay scales were in effect, in favor of implementing the recommendations made by the Sixth Central Pay Commission.
