Thane: Maharashtra Government Employees Unleash Strike Fury Demanding Old Pension Scheme

Thane, 14th December 2023: On Thursday, approximately 1.7 million Government Employees in Maharashtra engaged in a strike to protest the government’s failure to implement the Old Pension Scheme (OPS). Despite a meeting between State Officials and Employee Union Representatives the previous evening in an attempt to avert the strike, the discussions concluded without resolution.

This marks the second instance of government employee strikes; a prior protest occurred in March, prompting Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to form a committee, including former senior bureaucrats Subodh Kumar, K P Bakshi, and Sudhir Kumar Shrivastava, to assess the old and new pension schemes. The committee submitted its report to Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Ajit Pawar in November 2023, with a positive government stance on OPS likely to be decided before the upcoming budget session, according to Pawar’s statement during the ongoing Winter Session of the state legislature.

The strike affected all Government Departments, including Schools, Colleges, and Hospitals, impacting public services across various locations. Organized by the Maharashtra State Government Employees Association (MSGEA), employees conducted processions in Nagpur, coinciding with the legislative session. Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis acknowledged the government’s favourable disposition towards OPS but appealed to employees to call off their agitation.