OUR CORRESPONDENT
BONGAIGAON: Demanding for the abolishment of the National Pension System and implementation of Old Pension Scheme, All India Railwaymen's Federation (AIRF) staged a token hunger strike on Wednesday throughout the country.
North East Frontier Railway Mazdoor Union also participated at all Railway stations of N F Railway. Talking to press Dilip Chakraborty and Ashish Biswas, president and secretary of NFRMU, said that pension is a basic right of an employee. "After whole life's service to a department, a person is given a pension so that he can survive during his retirement period. But by depriving an employee of the Old Pension Scheme, the government has betrayed all employees. This can't be tolerated and hence as a trailer, we staged a hunger strike today. This is a message to this government that if our demand is not fulfilled immediately, we shall be compelled to adopt the path of massive democratic agitation in the coming days," they said.
In Bongaigaon also, about 100 employees staged the hunger strike under the banner of NFRMU Bongaigaon and New Bongaigaon Running branch where several noted persons, including Kallol Dev Sarma, central organizing secretary, Bongaigaon branch officials such as Dipen Bora, Jagadish Bhattacharjee, and others were present. The hunger strike started at 8.30 am and continued till 3 pm. Another team of NFRMU New Bongaigaon and Workshop branch staged a hunger strike at the New Bongaigaon Workshop Gate.
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