Government employees and teachers in Kerala are gearing up for a major demonstration to press for their long-standing demands. They will organize a human chain in front of the state Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram and at all district headquarters on January 22.
Core Demands of the Protest
The protest, called by the CPI-led teacher-service organization coordination committee, has a clear set of demands. The primary call is for the complete withdrawal of the current contributory pension scheme and the implementation of the old pension scheme. Furthermore, they are demanding a salary revision with retrospective effect from July 1, 2024, the release of pending dearness allowance (DA), and an end to what they term the central government's financial blockade against Kerala.
The committee's chairperson, O K Jayakrishnan, and general convener, K P Gopakumar, announced the protest plan. They expressed deep frustration over the government's failure to act on its own budget announcements. "It was announced in the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 budgets that the contributory pension scheme would be withdrawn and a legally protected pension scheme ensuring all benefits would be implemented. However, despite the budget period nearing its end, the govt did not put forth such proposals," the leaders stated.
A History of Unfulfilled Promises
This is not the first action by the employees. They had conducted a token strike on the same date last year, January 22, 2023, with identical demands. The leaders pointed out that despite promises, the government neither initiated the salary revision process nor withdrew the unpopular pension scheme.
The contributory pension scheme was introduced by the then Oommen Chandy-led government in April 2013 and has faced consistent opposition since. The leaders argued that while the salary structure was last revised on July 1, 2019, a significant 13% dearness allowance remains pending, causing hardship. They highlighted that previous Left governments had consistently provided salary revisions every five years, even during adverse conditions.
Blame on Central Policies and Financial Strangulation
The protest leaders also linked their plight to broader financial issues facing the state. They accused the central government of a "political vendetta" that has resulted in reduced financial assistance and borrowing restrictions for Kerala. This, they claim, has plunged the state into a severe financial crisis.
"The central govt's flawed economic policies caused extreme inflation," they added. The combination of frozen salaries, pending allowances, and the high cost of living has created significant pressure on employees and teachers. The leaders urged the current state government to implement timely salary revisions and honor its budget announcement to scrap the contributory pension scheme, thereby providing relief to the workforce.
