- UP Working Journalists Union presses demand to enhance ₹1,000 EPFO pension for retired private-sector employees
- State Labour Minister Anil Rajbhar assures delegation he will raise the issue with the Union Labour Minister
- Demand rooted in Ayodhya state conference resolution of the journalists’ body
- Union says current pension fixed 15 years ago is unjust for employees who served decades
NE LABOUR & MEDIA BUREAU
LUCKNOW, MAR 11
A delegation of the UP Working Journalists Union has urged the government to increase the minimum monthly pension under the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) from ₹1,000 to ₹5,000, arguing that the existing amount is grossly inadequate for retired employees.
The delegation met Anil Rajbhar, the Labour Minister of Uttar Pradesh, and submitted a memorandum addressed to the Union Labour Minister highlighting the demand.
Rajbhar assured the representatives that he would soon take up the matter with the Centre.
The proposal to seek enhancement of the pension amount was earlier passed during the state conference of the union held in Ayodhya.
The delegation included Devraj Singh, State General Secretary of the union; Shivsharan Singh, President of the Lucknow unit; Abdul Hasnain Tahir; and Ashish Kumar Singh.
Union president Haseeb Siddiqui pointed out that the ₹1,000 minimum pension was fixed nearly one-and-a-half decades ago, and has not kept pace with rising living costs.
He said: “Various state governments are providing pensions of several thousand rupees to different sections of society, including women. On the other hand, employees who have spent decades in full-time service are receiving only ₹1,000 pension, which is both ridiculous and unjust.”
Responding to the representation, Rajbhar assured the delegation that he would soon meet the Union Labour Minister and not only convey the union’s demand but also press for its consideration.
