Unions welcome assured 50% pension, retrospective implementation of TAPS
CHENNAI: JACTTO-GEO, the umbrella organisation for the state government employees, on Saturday welcomed the Tamil Nadu Assured Pension Scheme (TAPS) despite having certain reservations, while the CPS Abolition Movement strongly opposed TAPS on Saturday.
JACTTO-GEO state coordinator M Baskaran said the statement of Chief Minister MK Stalin indicates that TAPS will be implemented with retrospective effect - from the date on which the New Pension Scheme came into force. "In the past, when the Pay Commission recommendations were submitted, there used to be a lot of lacunae. But they were settled through representations. Now, TAPS is coming after a gap of 23 years. So, definitely there will be some shortcomings. But they can be set right in due course," he added.
Baskaran said in the Unified Pension Scheme by the Central government, pension has not been assured. But the Tamil Nadu government is assuring a 50% pension, debt-cum-retirement gratuity, family pension, and a DA hike.
MP Murugaiyan, one of the state coordinators of the JACTTO-GEO, said there is no alternative to the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), but in the given situation where employees have been struggling for 23 years, coming under the purview of pension is important.
"We urge the CM to remove the 10% contribution from employees. The government should specify the quantum of its contribution," he added.
B Frederic Engels and M Selvakumar, coordinators of the CPS Abolition Movement, took strong exception to the announcement. "TAPS, which imposes a 10% contribution by employees, is another form of the Unified Pension Scheme and the New Pension Scheme. CPSA Movement is calling for a strike across the state on February 3," they added.
The Tamil Nadu Arasu Oozhiyar Sangam, based in Madurai, said TAPS is a copy of UPS announced by the Central government, and even 90% of the Central employees have not accepted that. They plan to go ahead with an indefinite strike from January 6.
Former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram said TAPS offers additional benefits compared to the Union Government's UPS. BJP state president Nainar Nagenthran described TAPS as deceptive and unimplementable, and aimed at misleading employees as the DMK government's term ends.
PMK founder S Ramadoss welcomed TAPS and called for regularisation of all temporary, contract and daily wage government employees, while PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss accused the DMK government termed TAPS as vague and inferior to OPS and election-driven.