Tarun Karthick
Sri Vijaya Puram, 07 July 2025
As part of a nationwide campaign initiated by the Government Employees National Confederation (GENC) of the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), government employees across the country have submitted petitions to the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, highlighting key issues faced by the working class. In the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a delegation from the Andaman Nicobar Rajya Karmachari Mahasangh (BMS) recently met the Deputy Commissioner of South Andaman and submitted a detailed representation for onward transmission to the Prime Minister.
The petition primarily raised three major national concerns. The first is the delay in the constitution of the 8th Central Pay Commission (CPC), which has caused uncertainty among employees regarding future pay revisions. The second issue highlights the non-extension of judicial reliefs to similarly placed non-petitioner employees, forcing many to approach courts despite favorable judgments already being delivered in comparable cases. This, the petition states, violates the principle of equality and burdens employees with litigation costs and emotional stress.
The third and most pressing demand is the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) in place of the current National Pension System (NPS) and the proposed Unified Pension Scheme (UPS). The delegation argued that the shift to NPS has generated widespread dissatisfaction and insecurity among employees, leaving them unsure about their post-retirement future. They emphasized that OPS is not merely a financial demand but a matter of social security, dignity, and justice.
In addition to these national-level issues, the petition also highlighted several local concerns specific to government employees in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, including:
– Implementation of equal work, equal service conditions, and equal pay.
– A minimum Group Insurance amount of ₹20 lakh.
– Provision of five promotions during an employee’s entire service period.
– Immediate compassionate appointment of dependents of deceased employees without conditions.
– Halt to corporatisation and privatisation of government institutions.
– Abolition of outsourcing and contractual recruitment, and immediate regularisation of such employees.
– Filling of all vacant posts in government departments with regular appointments.
– Service security till 60 years of age for those employed under Central Sponsored Schemes on a contractual basis.
– Regularisation of DRMs and contract employees engaged in perennial jobs with over 10 years of continuous service.
– Absorption of contractual employees working directly under the UT Administration or through outsourcing for over two years, under the provisions of the CLRA Act, 1970, and as per Supreme Court judgments.
- Declaration of the entire UT as a Hard Area, along with the grant of Hard Area Allowance and Special Compensatory Allowances for all government employees.
The delegation from the Andaman Nicobar Rajya Karmachari Mahasangh was led by Mr. Vijay Kumar, Vice President, and included Mr. A. Vijay Nair, Finance Secretary, Mr. Y. Santosh Kumar, and Mr. S. Biju Pillai, General Secretary.
The employees’ representatives urged the government to address these long-standing issues and ensure a fair, secure, and dignified working environment for all government servants across the nation.
