Confederation of Central Government Employees Announces Fresh Phase of Agitational Programmes: Full Details
The Confederation of Central Government Employees & Workers has issued a new circular dated 24 November 2025, highlighting the ongoing struggles of Central Government employees and announcing a renewed phase of nationwide agitational programmes. These programmes have been launched in response to the Government’s inaction on long-pending demands and increasing restrictions on unions and associations.
The Confederation, led by President Rupak Sarkar and Secretary General S.B. Yadav, has been raising its seven major demands since December 2022. Despite a one-day token strike held on 9 July 2025, the Government has not taken meaningful steps to resolve the issues except for constituting the 8th Central Pay Commission (CPC). The circular strongly criticises the Government for adopting repressive measures, including derecognition and denial of recognition to several associations.
Why the Confederation is Protesting
According to the circular, several concerning trends have emerged:
1. Repressive Measures Against Unions
The Government has allegedly been derecognising or refusing recognition to employee unions despite their compliance with CCS (RSA) Rules, 1993.
Examples cited include:
- Suspension of the General Secretary of Kerala CoC
- Dismissal of the General Secretary of AIGDSU (DoP)
2. Failure to Honour JCM Arbitration Awards
The Confederation notes that the Government has not implemented agreed-upon Awards of the Board of Arbitration.
3. Concerns on 8th CPC Terms of Reference
Although the 8th CPC has been constituted via Gazette Notification dated 03 November 2025, the Confederation expresses disappointment that:
- Pension and family pension revisions are excluded from its mandate.
- A new clause—“unfunded cost of non-contributory pension schemes”—has been added, raising concerns over the future of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS).
4. Implementation of New Labour Codes
The Gazette Notification dated 21 November 2025 bringing the four labour codes into force has been criticised for making union activities more difficult. Ten Central Trade Unions (CTUs) have already called for a nationwide protest on 26 November 2025, with the Confederation extending full solidarity.
Phase-Wise Agitational Programmes Announced
The Confederation’s National Executive Committee, in its meeting on 25 October 2025, finalised the following action plan:
Phase 1: Intensive Nationwide Campaign (Till 15 December 2025)
- Secretariat members will visit states as per the approved tour programme.
- Aim: popularise the Charter of Demands and prepare employees for collective action.
Phase 2: Lunch Hour Demonstrations (16 December 2025)
- Demonstrations to be held in all offices across India.
- Resolutions to be sent to respective authorities.
Phase 3: State Conventions (By 31 December 2025)
- Conventions will be held in every state.
- Overdue State CoC conferences must be completed by 31 December.
- National Secretariat members will attend and supervise these conventions.
Further Course of Action
Subsequent programmes will be decided after reviewing the success of these initial phases.
Charter of Demands: What the Employees Want
The Confederation has released a revised and comprehensive 12-point Charter of Demands, which includes:
- Modify 8th CPC Terms of Reference based on inputs from Confederation and NC-JCM.
- Merge 50% DA/DR with basic pay; grant 20% Interim Relief from 1 January 2026.
- Scrap NPS/UPS and restore the Old Pension Scheme for all employees.
- No discrimination among pensioners based on date of retirement.
- Release the 18 months’ DA/DR arrears frozen during the Covid pandemic; restore commuted pension after 11 years instead of 15.
- Remove 5% ceiling on Compassionate Appointments and approve cases of all dependants of deceased employees.
- Fill all vacant posts, stop outsourcing and corporatisation in Government departments.
- Ensure democratic functioning of unions as per JCM; grant pending recognitions.
- Withdraw derecognition orders of AIPEU Group-C, NFPE, and ISROSA.
- Stop misuse of Rule 15(1)(c) against associations.
- Stop vindictive actions against union members and leaders.
- Regularise casual, contractual, contingent, and GDS employees; ensure parity for employees of autonomous bodies.
Tour Programme of National Secretariat Members
To ensure thorough mobilisation, senior leaders have been assigned to different states and regions. The campaign needs to be completed by 15 December 2025.
The circular includes detailed assignments for each region, covering all major states such as Maharashtra, Gujarat, Assam, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Delhi, West Bengal, Bihar, and more.
Women’s sub-committee members are also requested to actively support the state-level campaigns.
Conclusion
The Confederation has made it clear that “Struggle is the right path: we are on the right path!”
With a renewed call for unity and action, the organisation is gearing up for a decisive phase to protect employee rights, restore pension security, and ensure democratic functioning of unions. The coming months will be crucial in determining how effectively these demands are addressed at the national level.