Scores of teachers marched through the main thoroughfares of the town under the aegis of the struggle committee representing various teachers’ unions here on Friday demanding abolition of the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) and revival of the old pension scheme.
Teachers owing allegiance to the TSUTF, the TPTF, the STF, the TSPTA and various other unions took part in the protest rally.
The rally culminated in a dharna near the Collectorate.
Addressing the demonstrators, the TSUTF general secretary Chava Ravi alleged that the CPS, introduced in 2004, deprived lakhs of government employees including teachers of post-retirement financial and social security.
CPS is an off-shoot of the “World Bank-dictated new economic reforms of 1991,” he said, alleging that the successive governments remained callously apathetic to the persistent demands by lakhs of employees for scrapping the CPS.
The State government has unilaterally agreed to implement the CPS when it was given an option to choose between the CPS and the old pension scheme at the time of formation of Telangana, he alleged, noting that the old pension scheme was still in vogue in Tripura and West Bengal. He demanded that the State government revert to the old pension scheme to safeguard the interests of around 1.20 lakh employees including teachers, those presently covered under the CPS all over Telangana.
The STF general secretary D. Saidulu, the TPTF leaders Nagi Reddy and Nagamani, and others spoke.
Wide support
The CPI (M) district secretary P. Venkateshwara Rao, CPI (ML-ND) State assistant secretary P. Ranga Rao, CPI district secretary B. Hemantha Rao and others visited the dharna camp and extended their support. Similar demonstrations were organised by the employees of various govt. departments in the town and at Kothagudem in Bhadradri-Kothagudem.