Govt employees to move court

Our Correspondent
Kohima | July 15

expectedly  in the wake of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly passing the Nagaland Retirement Bill, the Nagaland Government Senior Employees Association today decided to move court on the plea that the decision of the government infringes on the fundamental right of equality before the law. This was decided at a meeting of the association at the Zonal Council Hall here.
Speaking at the meeting, senior government employees said the association has been compelled to take the step maintaining that the fixed superannuation age and the length of service specified by the government is not acceptable. They said the age of superannuation cannot be disputed but the decrease in the length of service cannot be accepted.

Advisor to the association, T. Meren Paul, also said a memorandum has already been submitted to the chief minister and governor but there have been no response from them on this issue. Sonamani Singh, also an advisor to the association, said the organization  is spearheading the move but that it is not aimed at confrontation  either the government or other organizations.
Other leaders who spoke at the occasion also said the decrease in the length of service can never be justified as no other state in the country has a fixed length of service and that many organizations are even fighting to increase the age of superannuation to 62 years. 

As per government figures, some 3,000 employees stand to be affected but the association has put the figure at more than 9,000. The association is, however, expected to take the matter to court only after the governor gives his assent to the bill. Representatives of several districts also expressed solidarity with the association and assured to extend full support for any move spearheaded by the association. Various officials from different department while addressing the meeting stated that the government has the right to administer and formulate policies for  the younger generation but not at the cost of infringing the rights of senior employees of the state. They maintained that the term of retirement on superannuation should be considered and not by the length of service. 

Some of the speakers said ‘government frames rules to the advantage of its employees and not to infringe their rights.’ They pointed that no other state in the country has imposed ‘length of service’. They also termed Nagaland government as the weakest government, which had succumbed to the pressures of the students’ body. Meanwhile, members would be collecting cash contributions from all its members to meet legal costs.