Dimapur, July 2 (MExN): The newly formed Nagaland Government Servant Senior Employees’ Welfare Association today made clear its stand on the issue of retirement. The Association today through a press release by its general secretary Thunglamo Ovung while reiterating the ruling of the High Court on ‘CANNSEA-Vs-state of Nagaland’ noted that the Court had in the 1992 ruling “struck down the principle of length of service for retirement as unconstitutional and violative of Article 14 of the constitution of India.”
NGSSEWA said that retirement after 35 years of service would affect mostly the Grade IV and Grade III employees. Substantiating this argument, NGSSEWA said, most employees of Grade IV and Grade III enter service “at the young age of 18 to 21” years and therefore 35 years service would mean that the employees retire by 53 to 56 years. “They will be rendered jobless at the prime age of 53 to 56 and cause adverse bearing on society,” NGSSEWA stated.
This, asserted NGSSEWA, would have an adverse “collateral effect” on Grade IV and Grade III employees, while the Gazetted officers are less affected “as they enter service at a latter age after graduation/post graduation,” it argued.
“Government service is a hard earned job for many of us after hard struggle of competitive exams through public service commission but not a bounty distribution nor a musical chair,” the Association stated. The NGSSEWA now feels prudent to take up the issue of retirement with the govt. in all right earnestness.
Meeting on July 6
Meanwhile a meeting of all senior govt. employees has been convened on July 6 at 11:00 am in the State Academy Hall Kohima to discuss this contentious issue and further to chalk out steps to be taken for seeking justice regarding this matter. The Association reminded that any govt. servant who has completed 15 years of service is eligible to become a member of NGSSEWA.
