Two flawed decisions

At times, the decisions taken by both the central and state governments are completely irrational and difficult to comprehend. For example, a recent decision by the central government regarding pensions is a one that torments employees. Similarly, in Kerala, the amendment made to the compassionate appointment criteria is highly detrimental, which becomes evident upon reading the related order. According to the new amendment, an employee’s child must be at least thirteen years old to be eligible for compassionate appointment. No matter how much one thinks about it, the relevance of this thirteen-year requirement is hard to understand.

In the country, the legal age for voting is eighteen, which was previously twenty-one. While various changes have already been made to the rules regarding compassionate employment, this latest amendment is irrational and has put many applicants in a difficult position. It is true that the government has the right to create laws and repeal existing ones. However, any modification to a law that has been in force for years should be made only after taking the people into confidence. From this perspective, the current amendment does not seem to be in the best interest of employees. It is also unclear why the opposition did not oppose it when the bill was introduced in the assembly.

Now, coming to the central government’s betrayal—when implementing the pay commission benefits, the central government has taken the strange decision to exclude retired employees from the new benefits. Until now, all retired employees received pensions at the same rate. However, this change will put lakhs of retired central government employees in distress. What is even more concerning is that the central government has made this decision without holding any discussions with employee unions.

As the nation awaits the report of the new pay commission, it remains to be seen how employees will react to such changes in pension distribution. There is no doubt that this will create difficulties for the government. The decision seems to stem from the arrogance of having a majority in the Centre, believing that any change can be imposed at will. However, in the face of employee unity, the government may eventually be forced to reconsider this stance.