Demand For OPS To Be Strengthened: DTF

Union cabinet on Saturday had approved an assured 50 per cent of salary as pension for 23 lakh government employees who joined service under the National Pension System (NPS).

The Democratic Teachers Front (DTF) has come forward stating that the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) is not close to the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), and thus the demand for OPS to be strengthened.

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In a detailed press release, it stated that the electoral setback to the ruling dispensation and the rising tide of mobilization of public employees has compelled it to introduce a Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) that is a curious hybrid.

Dismissing the claim of the union government that the UPS has almost returned to the OPS, the teacher’s organisation said that the defined benefit is based on a contributory scheme.

“The ruling dispensation is claiming that the UPS is almost a return to the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) with a defined benefit in terms of assured pension. However, the fine print as available at present shows there is a fundamental contradiction in the UPS: it is claiming to offer a defined benefit on the basis of a contributory scheme”.

“The New Pension Scheme (NPS) was a contributory scheme with no defined benefit, they said.

The DTF has also pointed out that the new pension scheme involves only union government employees and does not involve teachers and others who are working in autonomous public organisations.

They also noted that unlike the OPS which was available after 20 years of service, the UPS full pension will only be available after serving 25 years and this will adversely impact employees who were compelled to join services late.

“The Union Government with UPS has an inbuilt reason not to announce any more pay commission because that would further the gap between defined benefit and contribution under UPS,” it added.

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Moreover, the teaching organisation has highlighted that the state governments can opt for UPS with their funds. However, the Union government has squeezed down the finances of the state government since 2014.

“The charade propagated by the ruling dispensation about the UPS almost being a replacement for the OPS is precisely aimed to prevent a public debate about taxation of the super-rich while hopefully providing it political succour in forthcoming elections,” DTS stated.

The teachers’ collective stated that they must work in concert with unions of government employees and demand through a determined struggle that all teachers and employees must be covered by OPS and for the eighth pay commission.