THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Around 22,400 employees have retired from service in Kerala in one go after the LDF government's decision to make March 31 the common retirement date, throwing up the challenges of fresh postings and payment of retirement benefits.
The step would entail payment of at least Rs 1,300 crore for pension and other benefits at a stretch to the employees who retired yesterday.
The government would also have to fill up senior posts in a short span to avoid a possible administrative stalemate.
While some employees could gain from introduction of common retirement date, others stand to lose many of their post-retirement benefits.
Till now employees could continue in service till the end of the month of their date of birth if it was not the first of the month. Only those whose date of birth was the first of any month had to retire the previous day.
Now that March 31 has become the common retirement date, all those who attained 55 years anytime during the financial year could continue in service till March 31, with the result that while some got almost an year's extension, others got a lesser period that affected promotions and benefits.
Employees organisations say at least 2,000 persons would suffer in terms of monetary benefits and some even lose 11 months salary, which itself would come to around Rs 2.5 lakh.
They say that 93 senior posts need to be filled up from the level of Joint Secretary, for which many lower grade employees would have to be given 'double promotions', leading to inexperienced hands occupying higher posts.
As for the payment of pension and other benefits, Finance Minister T M Thomas Isaac has said there are enough funds in the treasury for the purpose.
According to treasury director E K Prakash, the department had made all arrangements to distribute pension and other benefits to the retiring employees.
Isaac dismissed the Opposition's contention that there would be an administrative stalemate with introduction of mass retirement date as enough supernumerary posts had been created to fill up vacancies. Promotion lists for senior posts were also getting ready.
He said all department heads had been asked to report to PSC anticipatory vacancies in January every year. Of the retiring employees, 8,000 were teachers whose uniform retirement date was already March 31.
The Public Service Commission (PSC) had taken steps for new recruitments as and when vacancies were reported and from existing rank lists, PSC chairman K V Salahuddin said.
Service organisations owing allegiance to both the ruling and Opposition fronts have not come out in the open against the government's decision, but had expressed apprehensions on the question of fresh postings and payment of benefits.
Pro-CPI(M) NGO Union, pro-Congress NGO Association and CPI-affiliated Joint Council are all demanding that benefits be given to the retired employees in a time-bound manner.
NGO Association has warned of an agitation if the government decided to pay retirement benefits in instalments.
