PANJIM: Over 2500 retired government employees, affected due to the government’s sudden decision on retirement age in 2004 have decided to meet on May 15 to chalk out their further course of action as the government has failed to reimburse the retirement benefits as submitted in the High Court while disposing the writ petition filed by the employees.
It is almost 14 years now that around 2500 government employees, including teachers, had to retire at the age of 58 following a decision by then Parrikar government in 2004.
Since then the retired employees have continued legal correspondence with the government and authorities, said Gajanan Naik, member of the All Goa Government and Semi Government Retired Employees Association.
He said that 240 members of the association, who had retired at the age of 58, have expired and many are medically unfit. Naik said that if the government reimburses the rightful benefits then it would be helpful to the retired employees for medical treatment.
“Due to lowering of the age limit of retired employees they lost retirement befits plus earnings. We are not begging but it is rightful compensation which retired employees should get due to the faulty decision of the then government,” he said.
The government had immediately rolled back the decision and taken the retirement age to 60 years, but the affected employees were not compensated, despite an assurance in the HC.
